


The Fixers

by Lightning and Sunshine (thunderandlightning)



Category: Quantum Leap, Sliders, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-05 04:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 90,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14036289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderandlightning/pseuds/Lightning%20and%20Sunshine
Summary: Trapped and desperate for a solution, three of the McCall pack members go back in time to fix what went wrong.





	1. The Return Trip

Stiles coughed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and trying to ignore the smear of blood that came away from his lips. “Okay.” He said weakly. “Quick assessment. We’re down most of our pack. We’re all that’s left. My odds aren’t so great.” He smiled crookedly at his best friend. “But I thought it might come to this. I just thought there’d be more of us when it was necessary.” 

“Stiles, the point.” Lydia whispered frantically, certain that the thunder of running footsteps was getting closer to their hiding place. 

Stiles went into another coughing fit, his eyes wide and horrified as he dug something out of his pocket. He took Lydia’s hand in one of his and nodded for Scott and Lydia to hold hands, as well. “If this doesn’t work, I’m sorry. I love you both.” 

Scott rested his head against Stiles’ shoulder, breathing heavily as he twisted his fingers around Lydia’s. He squeezed Stiles’ hand, shuddering. “Love you.” He echoed softly. 

“I love you.” Lydia gulped, nodding to Stiles. 

Stiles threw the bag down in front of the three of them. It exploded in a puff of smoke. 

***

Stiles opened his eyes and sat up, in his bedroom. His room had the same blue and orange paint that he had insisted he wanted, when his mom was still alive. He squirmed toward the edge of the bed, which took a lot longer in his smaller form than he remembered, and he slid down until his feet hit the floor, running through the house to get to the phone. He dialed Scott’s house phone number and kept the phone to his ear as his eyes catalogued the rest of the house around him. 

“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered - Melissa McCall, on the other end of the line, and sounding much less haggard and exhausted than she usually did. 

“Hi, Mrs. McCall!” Stiles made a face at how squeaky his prepubescent voice was. “Can I talk to Scott, please?” 

Melissa sounded amused. “Do your parents know you’re calling, honey?” She asked, even as she called out her son’s name. 

Stiles barely heard anything on the other end of the phone as he walked through the house, wondering if his mom was still alive and he had somehow overshot the date he had in mind. The calendar on the wall, in big bold numbers, read ‘2001.’ He stared at it, feeling dread in his stomach. He was only six. He had meant to go back to two thousand-five, to stop Kate from committing arson. 

“Okay, Scott’s here, sweetie. I’ll talk to you later, alright?” Melissa murmured, and then the telltale rattling of the phone sounded, indicating that it was switching hands. 

“Stiles!” Scott blurted, and then paused, like he was waiting for something. After a moment, he hissed out, “What the hell is going on? Why am I freaking wearing Mickey Mouse underwear?!”

Despite the situation, Stiles snickered. “Oh man, that’s classic!” He blurted. “Listen, I was trying to get us to the year that Kate set Derek’s house on fire. I guess I used too much, uh, whatever-it-is. Floo powder. I know that’s not what it’s called, but that’s what I’m calling it.” 

“Pretty sure that still isn’t right. Either way… we’re stuck, aren’t we? We can’t move any further in time than we did.”

“Not unless you wanna wander off and go talk to Deaton while you look like you just got out of Pull-Ups.” Stiles muttered. “My mom’s alive. I know there are things we need to do, but I just want to spend time with her today. Is that okay?” 

“I get it.” Scott said quietly. “It’s your mom. Spend as much time as you can with her.”

“Okay. But at school, we’ll find Lydia and try to work together, to make a plan.” Stiles wondered how the hell that was going to work. He didn’t think he was even capable of riding a bike. 

“Yeah, we’re probably gonna have trouble with that.” Scott sighed. “But we’ll figure it out. Or if we don’t, Lydia will.”

“Yeah, I know she will.” Stiles laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Everything is going to work out. I believe it will.” 

“I hope so.” Scott sighed. “Well. We better buckle in, because it looks like we’ve got a while to go before we have to worry about anything.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Stiles murmured. He had to stand up on his toes and reach his arm up as high as he could, to put the phone back where he got it from. He wandered through the house, a little fearful of seeing his mom. It was real, he knew, but he didn’t feel like it was. “Dad?” 

John looked up and smiled. “Hey, kiddo.” He held an arm out to offer the boy a hug. “How you feeling?”

“I’m okay.” Stiles hugged his dad. “Can you teach me how to ride a bike?” 

“Sure.” John agreed, hugging Stiles back. “We can head to Target and pick out a new bike for you. Then we’ll head down to the park, yeah?”

Stiles grinned. “Yeah! And Mom too?” 

“Oh, of course Mom, too. You think she’d let us go anywhere without her?” John teased. “That is a mistake of a very huge caliber, buddy, one that we definitely don’t intend to make, right?”

“Right!” Stiles laughed. 

Claudia walked out of the laundry room, carrying a basket of folded clothes. “Stiles, what are you doing up from your nap?” 

“I wasn’t tired!” Stiles smiled, running to hug his mom. 

Claudia looked up at John, a quizzical expression on her face. 

John smiled and shrugged. “He wants to learn how to bike. I said sure. Wanna see if we can negotiate on prices without making the salesperson cry?”

“Without?” Claudia teased. “Yes. I’ll go get my jacket. And one for Stiles. Do I need to grab yours, too?” 

John looked around, furrowing his brows. “No, I’ve got the tac jacket in the car, I should be good.” He stood up, and scooped Stiles into the air before looking at him. “Piggy back?”

Stiles nodded, getting choked up. He smiled, leaning forward to wrap his arms around his dad’s neck. “I love you.” He looked over his dad’s shoulder, at his mom. “And you.” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I had a bad dream.” He said it because he knew they were going to start asking questions, and he had been in a waking nightmare for three solid years, so he figured fudging a few details wouldn’t be a horrible thing. 

John shifted and held Stiles to his chest, rubbing a hand over his back with a concerned expression on his face. He started to say something about the nightmare, and then changed his mind, hugging Stiles tightly and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I love you, too, kiddo.” He murmured.

***

At school the next day, Stiles proudly sported band-aids on both elbows and one knee. His chin was a little scraped up, but not enough to need a bandage there. He waited impatiently for Scott and Lydia to show up on the playground before school started, when students were supposed to line up with their classmates and go into the building when the teacher on duty told them to. He saw Lydia first and ran up to her. “Hey! I was going to call you yesterday, but I never did get the phone number for your house. And my mom’s alive.” 

“I know.” Lydia nodded. “She won’t die for another couple of years.” 

“Unless I stop it.” Stiles knew, even as he said it, that it was inevitable. He shook his head. “Don’t. Anyway, I had my parents teach me how to ride a bike because I didn’t learn for an embarrassingly long time, before. I know how to do it, but I don’t know how to control my limbs for that sort of thing. Or at least, I didn’t. I got it, though.” 

“It looks like it took you awhile.” Lydia laughed. She hugged Stiles. “What are we doing back here?” 

“I was trying to get us to the year that Derek’s house caught on fire, before it caught on fire, so we could stop it.” Stiles sighed. “I did it wrong, obviously. But it’s fine, now we have more time to prepare ourselves. That’s why I was learning how to ride a bike. It’ll get me places faster. It’s not like I can drive.” 

Lydia grabbed Stiles’ hand and started walking toward the swings, where they wouldn’t be bothered by other kids. She sat down on the middle one, grabbing the chains for the other one and holding it for Scott before she turned toward Stiles again. “Sit down. There’s a lot we can do better, now. Better grades for you and Scott, for one thing. I’ll help if you need me to, but I think you’ve got it by now. I won’t play dumb this time. All it got me was a boyfriend who wouldn’t admit to himself that he liked boys, and also he broke up with me through a text message. I loved him, but... we weren’t in love. It was stupid of me. What else...” She pressed her lips together, thinking. “We need to be more athletic. I know that Scott can’t right now, with his asthma. That leaves out running, it doesn’t leave out sit-ups and push-ups. Maybe he can do martial arts? I want to learn. Parrish taught me how to fight a little, but it’s different now and I need to be stronger. We all do.” 

“I can make a timeline in my room.” Stiles licked his lips. “I was thinking about it. If I paint my walls white and then use glow in the dark paint or something to outline our plan, maybe...” 

“No. Our parents all check on us while we’re asleep. We’ll each keep a notebook.” Lydia smiled. “We’re going to do this right.” 

“Yeah, we are.” Scott said firmly, his high-pitched voice sounding much too grave for someone so young. He came closer to them and took the swing that Lydia had saved for him, dropping down and kicking his feet a little. “I’ve been thinking about this,” he said slowly, furrowing his brows. “There's a lot that we can’t change, but… there’s still a lot that we can. There are a lot of people that we can save now that we couldn’t before. We know what’s coming. So… Erica and Boyd. Isaac. Even if we don’t become friends with them - or frenemies, or whatever - we can make sure that they stay alive. The Hales, obviously. Maybe even that Paige girl you said Peter told you about, Stiles. Cripes, Peter, too - once we keep the fire from happening, once we keep Kate from happening, he won’t go seven shades of crazy. He’ll still be a massive jerk, but I don’t think anyone can stop that from happening.” His fingers clenched around the chains. “We can stop Jennifer - Julia - from happening. Deucalion. We can - we might not be able to get rid of the nogitsune, but we can make sure he won’t come back.” His lower lip trembled, and he looked at Lydia. “We can save Allison. So a notebook sounds good to me. Anything we can think of, between the three of us, from what we know of what happened. We can fix it. Maybe even cut it off at the head before it can even get off the ground.”

“Uh, I don’t know.” Stiles’ childhood habit of pouting hadn’t gone away, just because he was an adult in the body of a kindergartener. “See, if we save Paige, sure.” He took a deep breath, eyeing the other kids before he spoke again. “But that fire kind of started everything else, right? Peter went nuts and made Meredith buy into his agenda, and he bit you.” He told Scott. “No crazy Peter, no bite for Scott, no true Alpha. I mean, maybe you became some kind of werewolf legend because the town needed you to. If you ran off to the Hale house right now and convinced them to take you in, I don’t think it would necessarily have the same effect. And Erica, Boyd and Isaac were bitten because Derek was a failwolf, can we just agree on that?” 

“I think it was because he’s Scott.” Lydia countered. “Magic doesn’t have any logic behind it.” 

“I forgot how into the Disney Princesses you were.” Stiles smiled as the teacher blew her whistle, then called out to the kids to line up on the pavement. 

“ _Are_.” Lydia stood up and brushed off her skirt. “My grandmother is still alive. I’m going to demand to spend time with her this weekend, so I can talk to her about banshees. Maybe I can be even stronger now. I think we all can. I think we need to at least try.”

“We have limits.” Stiles put a hand on Scott’s shoulder and started walking, guiding his best friend along. “We’re stuck in class all day, five days a week, until at least the end of the school year. It’s another six or seven weeks of coloring and being disgusted by snot-nosed kids eating paste. But then we’ll be out of school and need to come up with ways we can spend time together. I’ll check the newspapers for summer activities.” 

“The reading program.” Lydia murmured. “The schools and the public library have a reading program, and they’re all open, all summer. We can meet and plan there. Or the park, maybe?” As they got closer to their classroom lines, she turned toward them, hugging each one in turn. “It’s hard to deal with the fact that chronologically, I just turned six. Come find me at recess.” She got into her line, smiling and chatting happily with the girl in front of her. 

“Stiles, we face forward in line.” The teacher admonished him as she checked his name off on her attendance sheet. 

Stiles turned away from where he had been watching Lydia, his gaze going to the back of the head of the kid in front of him. He hopped in place, irritated. “I forgot how short I was and how boring this is.” 

Scott laughed quietly. “Hey, you’re still gonna be taller than me,” He pointed out. “You are now, you always will be. At least until we’re old.”

Stiles laughed. “I’ll probably be shorter than you when we’re old.” He followed the rest of their line into the building and down the hall to the classroom, where he hung up his jacket. He turned around, eyeing the desks as he tried to remember which one was his. 

“I’m counting on that.” Scott teased. He looked around as well, furrowing his brows, before he smiled faintly and wandered over to a desk that had an ‘S.M.’ scratched in tiny letters in the corner of it. And because he and Stiles had spent the majority of their childhood sitting in front of each other or next to each other, he took a chance to peer at the insides of the desk in front of him, then pointed it out to the other boy.

Stiles grinned, giving Scott a one-armed hug before he sat at his own desk. He rubbed his hands together. “Okay. This should be easy. It’s April, so we’re done with learning letters, right? Probably have to spell words like ‘cat’ and ‘dog.’” 

“Maybe?” Scott squinted uncertainly as he sat down at his own desk. “I mean, probably. I don’t know. Spelling is the least of my concerns now, I’m gonna breeze through elementary school.” He giggled quietly.

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, except, uh, we’re still stuck doing all of this crap.” He muttered, eyeing the teacher at the front of the room. “Whole days of ‘color the bear’s hat with the red crayon.’” 

Scott furrowed his bow, shifting a little. “Well… maybe we’ll end up getting skipped ahead? Or given other work?” He said quietly.

“That would be kind of awesome, right? By the end of the day, we could be in sixth grade.” Stiles smiled. “Assuming I can get these tiny hands to write letters properly.” 

Scott grimaced. “Ah… yeah, I forgot the mechanics of that.” He sighed and held a hand up in front of his face. “Guess we’d better practice a lot.”

“Yeah.” Stiles got a blank piece of paper out of his desk. As carefully as he could, he scrawled ‘Stiles Stilinski’ across one line. It didn’t exactly work out as he had intended, so he skipped a couple of lines and tried it again, squinting down at the paper. 

Scott followed suit, his own handwriting shaky despite how carefully he scrawled his name over the lines. His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he wrote, trying to make sure that his fingers were holding the pen the right way as he tried again.

Stiles smiled at Scott, then kept practicing his name until the letters looked nice. He flipped the paper over and started writing out the alphabet, just to assure himself that he had his handwriting under control. 

The teacher flicked the lights off, then back on. When the students were silent and waiting for her to say something, she spoke. “Today, we’re going to do fingerpainting, but that will be after lunch.” She started passing out coloring worksheets. 

Scott reached for the sheets as they came closer to him, and then took one before passing the rest up to Stiles. 

Stiles took one and handed the stack to the kid in front of him. He grabbed his box of crayons from inside his desk and read the directions, then started to color everything the appropriate color. He thought he would be annoyed, but it was surprisingly soothing. “I love this.” He spoke to no one in particular, but he still expected Scott to react somehow.

Scott grinned faintly. “This explains why everyone got so nuts about the adult coloring books.”

“Yeah, if we had time, we could have maybe sat down with those.” Stiles laughed, but changed the subject a moment later. “Do you even want the bite, this time? You didn’t like it, before.” 

Scott was silent for a moment as he colored. “I think it would be different this time around.” He admitted. “I didn’t have a choice last time. I do now. And… well, I mean, the asthma still sucks. I know what I’d be going into this time. And maybe… maybe I could actually learn from an Alpha that won’t want me for a hidden agenda, you know?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. For a few seconds, he felt the same pangs he had at sixteen, that Scott would leave him behind. It hadn’t happened then - well, not permanently - and wouldn’t happen now at all. He was certain of that. He set his blue crayon down and picked up a green one. “You could talk to Satomi, too. If you feel like Talia and Laura aren’t... I mean, we never knew them. We don’t know what they’re really like.” 

Scott tilted his head, nodding slowly. “I could meet with them. Talia and Satomi. I just don’t know how to… you know, approach this. Talking to them, talking to… I think my mom should know. But I can’t be the one to tell her.”

“Right. It’s too soon.” Stiles agreed. He was silent as he worked, licking his lips as he gave their situation more thought. “You wanna wait until your dad is gone, definitely. And we’re going to have to try to make sure he doesn’t get custody of you. Not this time. So maybe you’ll have a harder time explaining a sudden interest in martial arts and everything, but Lydia and I can always teach you what we learn, too. I need more time to think about what I want.” 

Scott nodded and then set his head down, frowning. “Maybe… maybe it would do us some good if you’re not there to defend me the first time I get beat up. It would give me the excuse to beg Mom to let me train.”

“No!” Stiles blurted, not bothering to keep his voice down. “You were wheezing so much, even without me stepping in. No way. Not happening.” He sighed when the teacher called his name, and he got up from his desk and walked over to the time out chair, folding his arms across his chest and frowning at Scott. 

Scott looked back at Stiles steadily, taking a deep breath and looking down. He knew why Stiles didn’t want him to do it. He still thought it was worth thinking about. 

Stiles sighed loudly to get Scott’s attention, then gave the pencil sharpener, right beside him, a pointed glance before he looked back at his friend. 

Scott made a face at Stiles but grabbed an unsharpened pencil and made his way over to the pencil sharpener. “It’s a good idea.” He muttered. “A chance, at least.”

“I know. Sorry I yelled.” Stiles muttered. “But it’s going to make me sick to my stomach, thinking about you being attacked like that. If you think it’ll help, then yeah, might as well give it a try. But I’m staying close. Maybe we can sneak walkie talkies in here or something.” 

Scott shook his head. “Walkie talkies, fine. But you’re not staying too close.” He frowned. “I’m not even sure walkies are a good idea, honestly.”

Stiles stared at Scott. “You feel guilty that we lost most of our pack, before we came back here. Well, you know what? Me too. Lydia, too. That’s why we want to fix this. That’s why we came back. That doesn’t mean you need the sh- crap kicked out of you.” His gaze darted toward the teacher, relieved that she hadn’t heard his attempt at swearing. 

Scott frowned. “That’s not - honestly? I’m worried that if you’re there when it happens, you’re going to want to get involved, whether I want you to or not. I never wanted you to see it happen the first time around. Now, I’m doing it - letting it - happen on purpose to give myself a cover I need to be able to defend myself before I ever actually have to defend myself. And…” He exhaled heavily. “I don’t want you to see it this time because I know you. I know how much it’ll hurt you. And I know that… you might not be able to stop yourself from getting involved.”

“Would you have stopped yourself from getting involved if you had been there when Gerard decided to knock me around?” Stiles countered. 

Scott was silent, and stopped sharpening the pencil. “No.” He admitted quietly. “But… this needs to happen.”

“I know.” Stiles took a deep breath. “Go back, go do what you have to do. I’m trying to stay out of trouble.” 

Scott nodded his head without looking at Stiles, and moved back to his desk with a soft sigh. 

***

Lydia waited for Scott and Stiles near the doors that led to the playground, after lunch. She had spent her morning feeling incredibly bored and wondering if she might find herself being diagnosed with ADHD if she didn’t try to sit still. She had finished all of her work early and the teacher was talking about moving her up a grade. She wondered if the boys had fared the same. 

Scott made his way toward the doors to meet Lydia, smiling at the redhead and lifting a hand to wave at her. “How’ve you been so far?” He asked. “Stiles and I were practicing our handwriting. Not as part of class, but in case the school decides we’re mini geniuses and skip us ahead a few grades.”

Lydia laughed. “My teacher wants to put me in first grade. I think we’re onto something, here. If we end up being too smart for all of these classes, that gives us more time to prepare.” 

Stiles trudged out of the building, his hands in his pockets. “I got in trouble for yelling in class.” He muttered. “I deserved it, I guess.” 

Scott’s eyes softened, and he shook his head. “No. You didn’t.” He murmured. “I got you upset. I’m the one that made you yell.”

“What happened?” Lydia looked from one boy to the other. 

“When we were - before, I mean.” Stiles began. “One of the things that kind of cemented our friendship was that I stopped some kid from beating him up. This time, he’s decided to let it happen without my intervention, to convince his mom to let him take martial arts lessons with us.” 

“That wasn’t the only thing that cemented our friendship.” Scott protested. “You just said that it was only one of the things that did. You will always be the guy that peed on my sandcastle, that’s the kind of thing that lasts forever.” He sighed and stepped forward, reaching for Stiles’ arm. “Maybe… Okay. Maybe you stop it from happening the first time. Second time, too, I wasn’t exactly an inconspicuous bullying target when I was midget sized the first time. So you… you establish yourself as my protector.” He took a deep breath, thinking. “So… you save me. And save me again. And again. And then… you ‘get sick’ or something. Stay home.” He looked up at Stiles. “They’ll take advantage.”

Stiles nodded. “I can do that. I don’t like it, but a day at home with my mom wouldn’t bug me. And maybe I can use that day for something. I don’t know what.” 

“Talk to Derek.” Lydia smiled when Stiles looked over at her, a confused expression on his face. “Derek listens to you. He listened to you before he was ever willing to listen to anyone else. And you knew who he was right away, didn’t you? When you saw him again. Maybe you can convince him to be careful with Paige and to stay away from Kate. You’ll figure it out. You always do.” 

“Yeah.” Stiles ran a hand over his face. “Yeah, fine. I’ll protect Scott this week, then I’ll be absent on Monday.” 

Scott smiled shakily, his lower lip trembling as he nodded. “That sounds good.” He said softly. 

Stiles hugged Scott. “I think it’s a dumb plan.” He laughed sadly. “But it’s your plan and I don’t want to argue about it anymore. We’ve got too many years ahead of us right now.” 

“I’ll make sure he gets to the nurse and I’ll find a way to call you.” Lydia promised. “Even if I just have to leave a message that doesn’t make sense.” 

Scott hugged Stiles back tightly, and reached for Lydia’s hand to squeeze it. “Okay. And - thank you. I know it’s a dumb plan, but it feels like something I can do.” He looked softly at Stiles. “I’ve been through worse.”

“I know.” Stiles murmured. 

“Try to get through your work as fast as you can.” Lydia advised. “If the teacher won’t let you test into a higher grade, I’ll have to say something, I think. No offense, but you two have always been slackers in school. I might have a better shot of being listened to.” 

“Well… I mean, yeah, but this is pretty much the beginning of our school career.” Scott smiled crookedly. “We haven’t exactly gotten to the slacker reputation yet.”

Lydia blinked, smiling. “That’s true.” 

Stiles nudged Scott. “The great Lydia Martin was wrong about something.” He yelped when she playfully shoved him and ran. 

Scott laughed at him, gazing at him and Lydia fondly. 

“Excuse me.” Stiles grinned and ran after Lydia. It was surreal, since he didn’t have the same feelings for her that once had. He hadn’t even noticed her until third grade, when he wasn’t in a class with Scott, but was in one with Lydia. And that was because she had told off some kids who were making fun of him for not having his mom around. That had been the day he was pretty sure he had fallen in love with her. He didn’t really get to know her outside of school until they were sixteen, and by the time they were nineteen, they had decided that their war was too much of a problem for them to focus on a relationship. Here, they were too young for Stiles to even consider having a talk about where they might stand on that issue. 

Scott watched them run, propping himself against a wall. He wanted to join them, but he knew that his asthma was at the point at his current age where he’d be prostrate on the ground and gasping for air before he moved an inch. 

Lydia ran back over to Scott a few minutes later, giggling as Stiles caught up to her. “No matter what else happens, the three of us need to stick together. I know that before, I was the one who threw the best parties. I could do that again, but on my own terms. Maybe. I might not be popular this time around. It doesn’t feel as important.” 

“I was going to ask you guys if you thought I should talk my mom into becoming a werewolf.” Stiles looked nervous as he spoke. “But I thought about it more and decided that it might just kill her faster, if she’s not able to accept it.” 

Scott sighed. “I wish there was a way to know before anyone took the bite if they could survive it. If we could find out if your mom could survive it before she ever had to take the bite…” he shrugged, his shoulders slumping a little. 

“Well, maybe there is.” Stiles turned toward Lydia. “You. You could be an early warning system, if you learned what your grandmother knows. If you’re going there this weekend, I won’t be able to talk to you about it until Tuesday, but we’ll just have to take it easy until then, I guess. Relax and eat cookies and color. And take naps.” He snorted. “It’s like we’re already old.” 

“Not gonna lie, it sounds like a good option to me.” Scott laughed. 

***

Despite the idea that Stiles would use his alleged sick day to talk to Derek, he wasn’t able to. Two more weeks had passed, and it was the beginning of May. Every possible attempt he could think of to get himself near any of the Hales didn’t work out, and he was tempted to ignore his parents’ rules and ride his bike through the woods and go to the Hale house by himself, but he didn’t like the idea of doing anything like that alone. He knew that Talia met with other werewolves fairly often, and not all of them were like Satomi. Some were like Kali or Deucalion, and he was definitely too small to get away from someone like that. Instead, he found himself focusing on something else. Or rather, someone else. Malia Tate was in kindergarten, but she attended a different elementary school. Stiles was pretty sure that Cora was attending that same school, along with Derek. 

Lydia sat down by Stiles and Scott at recess, on a bench near the playground. “What’s wrong?” 

“Malia.” Stiles murmured. “I mean, the accident doesn’t happen for another two years, but she’s Peter’s daughter and maybe... she made him act like a decent person once, maybe she can do that for him again. But I can’t get near the Hales.” 

“Yet.” Lydia added. “In two weeks, we have that festival field trip. We should be able to talk to all of them, then. I had forgotten about it, but I heard Mrs. Myers and Mr. Green talking about it today, while I was doing my math. I just wish they’d put us in the same classroom.” 

“Scott and I are defective.” Stiles sounded almost proud as he said it. “I never shut up and he can barely talk because of his asthma.” 

Scott sputtered in protest. “That’s not - I can too talk,” He blurted. “I just can’t breathe.”

“Yeah, and you need to be able to breathe to talk.” Stiles smiled. “We’ll try harder next year to get into the same class as you,” he told Lydia. “Maybe if all three of us get moved up to second grade next year, instead of first? It’s pretty late in the school year, anyway. I’m surprised they moved us at all.” He stretched his legs out. “We’ve got our tae kwon do class tonight. It’s not like we have homework to worry about, right now. On a bright note, this whole repeat thing gives us a lot more time to figure out what we’re doing for college and afterward.” He glanced at Lydia. They still hadn’t spoken about what may or may not happen when they were older, and he felt oddly calm about that. If they never had a talk about it, she couldn’t tell him that she wanted an entirely new path for herself. He wasn’t even sure he wanted everything to remain the same. The entire purpose was to change everything that they possibly could. “We should spend more time with Boyd, Isaac and Erica. When we can, I mean.” 

“Festival day.” Lydia repeated. “We’ll get everything started, then. And I still want to go to MIT.” 

“Not that I’m trying to insult MIT.” Stiles began. “But you could probably go to Harvard now.” 

“MIT is better.” Lydia smiled. “Maybe you could go to Harvard now.” 

“Uh...” Stiles frowned and shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t really know what I want. I wanted to be a cop. I kind of still do? But it feels like I could do anything now.” 

Scott shrugged. “So plan to do everything.” He told Stiles. “Study anything and everything you can.”

Stiles grinned. “Yeah, I could.” He agreed. “Anyway... should we be looking for any relatives that Jackson might have, while we’re at it? He has it good with the Whittemores, but he never did like them.” 

Scott furrowed his brow. “Could we do that, really? I mean… how are we supposed to get the information on his birth parents?”

“Well, we already know that they died.” Stiles made a face. “And we couldn’t have stopped that, since going back that far would’ve made us babies who couldn’t even walk yet.” 

Scott grimaced. “That would’ve been bad all around.” He agreed. “I just… Who do we talk to? How do we go from here?”

“I didn’t want to say this, but I think we need to involve an adult.” Stiles looked from Scott to Lydia, wondering if either of them would object to his idea. “I think if we tell my parents, they’ll listen. My mom believes in all sorts of things that my dad doesn’t, but she could convince him. And we really can’t do this all by ourselves.” 

Scott fidgeted a little. “So we talk to your mom about this? Should we… should we go to the Hales, too?”

“Yes.” Lydia nodded. “Whether Stiles’ mom believes us or not, we should talk to them. If she won’t listen, we’ll have to sneak out and go there ourselves.” 

Scott stared at her. “Because it’s so easy for a bunch of six year olds to sneak out of the house?” He paused and frowned. “Actually, it kind of is. I’m pretty sure I gave my mom a heart attack a couple of times. We can totally do this.”

“Yeah.” Lydia smiled slowly. “I know I said before that we shouldn’t, but that was two weeks ago and we’re not getting anywhere with this. We don’t know how long Kate Argent was using Derek before she set his house on fire. So we’ll talk to Stiles’ mom after school today, and then if that doesn’t work, we’ll sneak out tonight.” 

Scott worried at his lower lip with his teeth, but nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“I can have you ride on my handlebars.” Stiles offered. “Maybe.” 

Scott squinted at him. “Um… I’m pretty sure I broke my arm doing that at some point. But okay.”

“We’ll walk.” Lydia interjected. “It’s safer. But let’s not worry about that until we have to.” 

“No.” Stiles protested. “Back up plans should always be made in advance. So if my mom won’t listen, we’ll wait until ten o’clock and go then.” 

Glancing between them nervously, Scott exhaled. “Can we just work under the assumption that your mom is going to believe us?” He asked. “Are we telling her everything up to what happened that brought us back here, or are we just giving her the information involving the Hale fire?”

Stiles thought for a minute, dragging the toe of one sneaker through the dirt before he looked back up at his friends. “All of it. Well, not everything at once, but enough that she’ll believe us. Don’t tell her she’s going to die though, okay? She doesn’t need to hear that part.” 

Scott shook his head. “I couldn’t tell her that, even if I wanted to. Your mom was like an aunt to me. I don’t ever wanna be the person to give news like that to anyone.”

“So we’ll tell her that we came back here from the future, that we need her help talking to the Hales, that they’re in danger.” Lydia looked over her shoulder as another kid approached them. “Go away.” She waited until they were alone again before she continued speaking. “And that we’re trying to help Jackson, too. I think that’s enough of a start.” 

Scott furrowed his brows, but nodded. “Okay. That’ll work. I think - I hope. God, I hope your mom doesn’t decide we’re insane. Or just telling dumb stories.”

“I know. I regret ever making up anything in my life.” Stiles muttered. He sighed when the teacher blew her whistle. “Yay, gym class.” He said sarcastically, looking at Scott. 

Scott groaned softly. “I could fake a really bad asthma attack?” He suggested. “So bad that you both have to haul me to the nurse?”

Lydia smiled. “I like that idea.” She nodded. 

***

A few hours later, Stiles walked to his house with Scott and Lydia, his fingers crossed on both hands that his mom would actually listen to what they had to say. He thought she might, but there was always a chance that she would just laugh at him. 

Scott brushed his shoulder lightly against Stiles’. He looked over at the other boy, his face earnest. “We’ll get her to believe us. Somehow. And if we don’t, well… I mean, at least we already know the Hales are supernatural. They’ll have an easier time believing us about time travel, right?”

“I think so?” Stiles murmured. He knocked on the front door of his house, suddenly a little embarrassed as he turned toward Lydia. “You’ve never been here when it was like this, so... uh... anyway.” 

The door opened and Claudia wiped her hands on her jeans as she smiled. “How was your day?” She asked Stiles, reaching out to take his backpack from him. “Did you get permission from anyone to have friends over?” 

Scott blinked wide eyes at Claudia. “Uh. Permission?” He blurted. 

Claudia laughed softly. “Scott, go call your mom and let her know that you’re here, okay?” She turned to look at Lydia, glancing again at her son before she held her hand out to the girl. “Nice to meet you.” 

“Lydia.” Lydia grinned, shaking Claudia’s hand. She had only met an imposter version of the woman before her, and seeing Stiles’ actual mother was somehow making her nervous. 

Stiles cleared his throat. “We need to talk to you. It’s really important.” 

Scott scrambled back into the room minutes later, looking curiously at Stiles and Lydia, before looking up at Claudia. “Mom said I can stay ‘til after dinner.” He told Claudia, looking up at her. He took in her face with more than a little awe - after all, it had been years since he had last seen the woman’s face.

“Okay. Do you guys want a snack? I don’t think we have a whole lot of stuff. I can make peanut butter sandwiches?” Claudia offered. 

“Yes, please!” Stiles nudged Lydia. “Have one.” 

Lydia gave Stiles a frustrated smile. “Stop bumping me.” She straightened her skirt and walked over to the couch, sitting down. 

Claudia went into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a plate of rollovers. “Okay, what’s this really important thing we need to talk about? Was Scott bullied again?” 

Scott climbed up into a chair and watched Claudia carefully. After a moment, he said, “Do you ever wish you could go back in time and fix all the bad stuff?”

“Of course I do. Stiles’ dad is a cop, he deals with bad stuff every day.” Claudia murmured. 

“Well, the thing is...” Stiles began. “We did. Or I mean, we’re trying to.” 

“What?” Claudia gave her son a puzzled look. 

“It was two thousand-fourteen, and everything was going wrong. There was a big group of us, but...” Stiles paused, trying to think his way around phrasing, to make sure his mom didn’t know she wouldn’t be around. “We didn’t think we were going to make it, so we came back here, instead. We were trying to get to a different year, but I messed things up a little, and now we’re stuck here, just waiting. I know it sounds crazy, but...” He bit his lip. “Um. I don’t know how to prove it to you. It didn’t escape your attention, I’m sure, that I went from a smaller vocabulary to a really expanded one, right? That’s because I’m not six, and neither are they. We’re nineteen. Well, Scott’s twenty, but Lydia and I are nineteen.” 

“We need to talk to the Hales.” Lydia added. “But we can’t exactly drive ourselves there and it’s a pretty far walk.” 

“Okay.” Claudia stood up. “Finish your sandwiches and we’ll go.” 

“Wh - really?” Scott gaped at her. “Just like that? No questions?”

“My clumsy six year old son went from being belligerent about almost everything to being incredibly willing to help me around the house, and I did notice the vocabulary change.” Claudia nodded. “Most kids take a lot longer to learn how to ride a bike, too. And my kid, who can never sit still or be quiet, suddenly has better handwriting and is being moved up a grade next year? Of course I’m going to listen.” 

Stiles stuffed his sandwich into his mouth and chewed frantically, covering his mouth with one hand to hide how gross he probably looked. 

“I guess not everything has changed about him.” Claudia laughed. She went looking for her keys and left a note on the fridge for John, telling him that she and Stiles were going to be out for awhile and to order a pizza.

Stiles waited until his mom left the kitchen, then dragged a chair over to the fridge. He crossed out ‘pizza’ and wrote ‘salad.’ 

Scott started laughing. “Your dad’s going to cry.” He commented. “And your mom’s probably gonna pee herself laughing.”

“Yeah, well, if I can keep his cholesterol down now, there’s no scare later.” Stiles muttered. “So that’s one point for me.” 

“Fair enough.” Scott murmured, brushing his shoulder gently against Stiles’ in affection.

Stiles smiled at Scott. “Okay, let’s go see Derek.” He murmured. 

“Okay.” Scott agreed, bobbing his head. He went quiet, thinking as he walked. “Derek’s family is alive.” He said softly. “How different do you think he’ll be?”

“Well, he’s only like, what, nine?” Stiles mused. “Probably happy and really different. Remember teenage Derek? He was a lot more laid back.” He walked out to the Jeep, staring up at it with a fond smile. 

“I think he liked you.” Lydia teased Stiles. 

Scott’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, he totally did like you.” He blurted.

“Pfft.” Stiles scoffed. “Older Derek was always throwing me into walls and he slammed my head into my steering wheel, once.” 

“Teenage Derek didn’t, though,” Scott grinned. “And he was equally capable of doing it.”

“But by the time he’ll be sixteen, I’ll be thirteen. In appearance, at least.” Stiles began. “And in reality, I’ll be twenty-six. Although I guess my age doesn’t matter anymore. None of ours do. We might have lived longer, but we’re six. That’s it.” 

“Yeah.” Scott murmured. “We’re six. That’s it.” He frowned a little. “This feels like cheating.” He glanced at Stiles. “We’re older and we know more, but we’re younger, and… I don’t know. It all feels so weird.”

“If you want, we can celebrate our real ages privately and our accepted ages with everyone else.” Stiles suggested. “Maybe once we set this right, we’ll just go back to where we were or something.” 

“You know it won’t work that way.” Lydia shook her head as Claudia came outside. 

Scott looked at her, a distraught expression on his face. “So… we’re going to relive everything? Or… do you think something different might happen?”

“It’s going to have to be different.” Lydia said confidently. “Once we tell the Hales, they’ll be safe. Peter won’t lose his mind and go on a murdering spree. He won’t have to, because the fire won’t happen.”

Claudia was listening, but she stayed silent as she opened the Jeep’s doors for the kids, helping them into the Jeep and making sure they were wearing seatbelts before she pulled out of the driveway. 

Stiles gave his mom a grateful smile when he saw her looking at him in the rearview mirror. “Everything we dealt with stems from this event. The fire happened because Kate Argent convinced herself that she was justified, because of what happened to Paige. We can stop that, too. But it all sort of centers around Peter. Not Derek.” 

“So what’s the difference between what actually happened with Paige, and what Peter told you happened with Paige?” Scott asked curiously. “I mean, it can’t all have been a lie, right?”

“Well, I don’t really know.” Stiles shook his head. “For all I know, Paige wasn’t even Derek’s girlfriend, she was Peter’s. Think about it. Derek falls in love with some girl, bad things happen and he’s heartbroken and feeling guilty, but he gets over that in all of two seconds to be with Kate Argent? It doesn’t sound like Derek. Besides, Peter’s said more than once that he played basketball, and he knew a lot of details about how Derek met Paige, considering that he wasn’t there at the time. Unless he was, because it was his story. So I guess the only way to know is to see if we can find Paige ourselves and see how old she is. If she’s already dead, then she was Peter’s girlfriend and we’re too late to save her.” 

Scott tilted his head. “Peter’s about twelve or thirteen years older than Derek, right? That’s would make him about twenty-two now. Maybe we should ask Talia, when we see her, if there’s been any… uh, meetings with other alphas recently. Or at least as far back as when Peter was sixteen.”

“I think that’s too vague.” Lydia sighed. “We’ll just tell them. They’ll know we aren’t lying, anyway.” 

Scott stared out the window of the car, kicking his feet a little. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I just… I want everything to work out. I’m really worried that things just - won’t. Whether we do everything we can or not.”

“You’re not supposed to be a pessimist.” Stiles smiled. “That’s my job.” 

“You’re not a pessimist, either.” Lydia rolled her eyes. “You’re more optimistic than I am.” 

Claudia laughed softly as she parked in front of the Hale house, getting out and helping the kids - if they could even be called kids - get out of the Jeep. “Let me knock and try to explain as best as I can, okay?” 

Stiles gave his mom an impatient smile, but nodded and reached for his friends’ hands. “We’ll be right behind you.” 

Scott grabbed Stiles’ hand and squeezed tightly, looking nervous. He nodded at Claudia.

Claudia walked down the long driveway and knocked on the door, stepping back and clasping her hand in front of her. 

Lydia tilted her head back a little, prepared to look up at whoever answered the door. 

Peter opened the door warily, looking bewildered. “Hello.” He greeted, staring at the young woman and the three children for a moment. “Can I help you?”

“That depends.” Lydia spoke up, staring at Peter. “Who is Paige Krasikeva? How do you know her?” 

Peter blinked, raising his eyebrows. “How do you know her?” He asked, frowning. “She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

Lydia glanced at Stiles, smiling smugly, before she looked back at Peter. “Ex-girlfriend?” She repeated. 

“Now isn’t the time.” Stiles interjected. “We need to talk to your family. Your pack.” He told Peter. “It’s important.” 

Peter was instantly stiff, staring hard at Stiles with unblinking eyes. “Talia!” He called without looking over his shoulder. “Front door! Now!”

Talia ran to the door, slowing to a stop when she saw an adult woman and three children on the porch. “Hardly a threat.” She remarked, looking at her brother. “What’s wrong?” 

“That one,” Peter said, eyes still focused on Stiles. “Called us a pack.”

“I think you should come in.” Talia said instantly, stepping back and pulling the back of her brother’s shirt to guide him along with her. 

Stiles walked into the house, looking around, his mouth open. He had never been in the house until it was a burned-out wreck, but it was beautiful. 

Lydia followed Stiles. “We have a lot to discuss, but we’d like it if Derek was here, too. And possibly Laura. Cora doesn’t have to be here, though.” 

Peter finally glanced at his older sister and nodded. “I’ll go get them.” He said quietly, stepping away with one final, suspicious look at the new group.

Talia motioned for the kids to sit down, then turned to Claudia. “I have a feeling that you’re as baffled by this as I am.” She remarked. 

“Yes, but it’s not for me to explain.” Claudia shrugged. 

Scott wandered over to the couch and climbed up on it, staring up at Talia with his mouth hanging open.

Stiles leaned against Scott, smiling. “Are you okay?” He whispered. 

“Yeah.” Scott murmured, nodding. “Just… look at her. She’s alive. She’s… real, she’s really there. I feel like I’m seeing someone famous.”

Stiles grinned. “Yeah, kinda. I mean, she’s a legend, right?” 

Scott nodded again, and then flushed bright red. “I also just remembered that she can totally hear us because we are not the least bit quiet.”

Talia smirked at the kids. “You’re right on both counts.” She wanted to ask what was going on, but they had asked to talk to Derek and Laura, so she was willing to wait. 

Derek wandered down the stairs, looking confused but intrigued. “What’s going on, Mom?” He asked, looking warily at the others, shifting out of the way when Peter jogged down the stairs behind him, lightly bopping him on the head.

Laura was behind Peter, her expression just as puzzled as her brother’s as she sat down in the living room. 

“I’m not sure how to even say this.” Stiles began. “The three of us,” he waved a hand to indicate himself, Scott and Lydia, “came back to this year, a couple of weeks ago. It was two thousand-fourteen, but we were in a bad situation. So we thought if we could go back and try to fix everything that’s gone wrong in the past - well, future now - in the next thirteen years, we could do a lot of good. The plan had been to keep it to ourselves, but I overshot the landing, I guess you could say, and we’re here instead of two thousand-five.” 

“You’re not even lying.” Talia breathed out, startled. “Well. This is something I’ve never encountered. I don’t suppose you’ll give me every detail?” 

“No, ma’am.” Stiles shook his head, smiling grimly. “I know it’s a lot, but we’re asking that you trust us because we’re not here to hurt you. First of all, though? I want to know more about Paige. I think that’s probably... where we need to start. But I can’t explain until I know what I’m explaining.” He gave Peter an expectant look. 

Peter folded his arms over his chest, staring back at Stiles. “She’s my ex. We were together until senior year of high school, and then she auditioned for Juilliard and I haven’t seen her since.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Stiles blurted. 

Lydia put her hand on Stiles’ arm. “Getting angry won’t help.” She said softly. 

“I’m allowed to be pissed, he’s lying again! Or he was lying before, I don’t know, I just...” Stiles glared at Peter. “You complicate everything, you know that?” 

Peter lifted his chin, staring back at Stiles calmly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He replied, a hint of annoyance on his face. “I’m not lying. I had a girlfriend, I thought we’d last, and we didn’t.”

“When I was sixteen, you told me that Paige was Derek’s girlfriend.” Stiles shook his head, frustrated. “You said that things with her went wrong and that caused problems for Derek. But you were lying to me then, and for no real purpose. I needed your help. You just suck.” 

Claudia put her hand over Stiles’ mouth. “Six years old or otherwise, you’re a guest in their home.” 

Stiles gave his mom an apologetic look and tugged at her wrist. “Sorry.” He muttered. “We’re here to fix things, not make all of you hate us.” 

Derek stared up at Peter, looking confused. “Uncle Peter, why would you lie about me?”

Peter looked immediately alarmed. “Hey, I didn’t lie about you, kid. Or to you. This… other guy, whoever I am in the future, he’s the liar. I don’t know why, but he is.” He put a hand on Derek’s head, brushing his dark hair back. “I will never lie to you or your sisters if I can help it, okay?” He didn’t wait for an answer, turning to look at Stiles once more. “What needs fixing? Me? What happened to me that I would act like that where you’re from?”

“There was a fire. It was arson.” Stiles explained. “You weren’t the same person after that, and you wanted vengeance against the hunters who did it. I understand that, but I’m not giving you names of everyone. I’m only saying one name, and that’s just to make sure that Derek-” He glanced at the older boy. “I don’t want you to get hurt again. She used you. She’s going to use you. Unless we stop it. That’s why I’m - why we’re here.” 

Talia looked bewildered, then furious. “A hunter manipulated my son when he was thirteen?!” 

“She did.” Stiles began, but Lydia interrupted. 

“But she hasn’t yet.” The redhead pointed out. “And now she never will. Now that you know she’s coming, you can stop her before she ever has a chance.” 

“Name.” Peter demanded, his eyes cold and his lips pursed together tightly. “I want the name. Now, please.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Lydia protested. “You look like you’re going to murder her and she hasn’t done anything to you. Give us a few days to figure out if she’s been doing this to anyone else. If she has, you can have the name. If she hasn’t, you get nothing. You can’t kill someone for a crime they haven’t committed, and if things go sideways, you’ll only be drawing attention to your family and causing the exact same fate that you have yet to be dealt, only under different circumstances.” 

Stiles listened to Lydia, but he was watching Derek as she spoke, and he looked at Talia, who was looking at Derek as well. After that, his gaze went to his own mother and he made a decision that Lydia wasn’t going to like, looking up at Peter. “Kate Argent.” 

“Damn it, Stiles!” Lydia snapped. “What happens if Gerard uses this as a reason to burn their house down?” 

“Peter’s not going to make a move.” Stiles remarked calmly, staring at the man in question. “Because Talia knows that you’re right, Lydia. It would put a big target on anyone in their pack. If Peter acted without Talia’s consent, and Gerard came looking for vengeance of his own, Talia would give Peter up.” He looked at the alpha. “I don’t have that wrong, do I?” 

“No.” Talia smiled almost proudly. “Why don’t you tell us what she looks like?” 

“I can do better than that.” Lydia got a folder out of her backpack, removing a sheet of drawing paper and holding it out to the woman. 

Talia studied the drawing, then handed it to Derek. “Does she look familiar to you at all?” 

Derek reached for the drawing and studied it, frowning deeply. He shook his head after a second. “No. I don’t recognize her at all.” He told Talia, glancing back up at his mother. He grimaced. “Sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.” Scott assured him. “You just… need to be really careful. She’s dangerous. The first time around for us, she succeeded in doing what she’d wanted to do, and…” Scott bit his lip and shook his head. “It was bad. All around. It set off a huge chain of events for us that we couldn’t come back from.”

“Except we did. Sort of.” Stiles shrugged. “But we’re not looking for some kind of Groundhog Day solution. This is it.”

Scott nodded, grimacing. “Yep.” He murmured.

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Yeah, alright. I’m not going to go after her, not until there’s evidence of her doing anything. The last thing I need are the Argents breathing down my neck.”

“That’s all we’ve got, right?” Stiles looked at Lydia, who scowled and tilted her head toward Peter.

“Oh. Right.” Stiles glanced at Talia, then stood up. “Peter, can we talk to you somewhere else?”

Peter raised his eyebrows warily, but stood up as well. “Of course.” He gestured toward a doorway leading to the dining room. 

“No, I mean, not here.” Stiles frowned. 

“Ah.” Peter nodded. He glanced at Claudia. “Would you protest if I took the kids to the park down the road?”

“I have a feeling that if you tried to harm any of them, the others would attack you viciously.” Claudia grinned. “Go ahead.” 

Stiles hugged his mom and walked outside, impatient to talk to Peter where Talia couldn’t hear. 

Peter followed after Stiles, feeling more than a little confused. He looked over his shoulder at the other two kids, and then back at Stiles before putting his hands in his pockets. “You’re really from the future, huh?” He asked quietly, and then paused before adding, “What do you think happened to your… older bodies?”

“Nothing?” Stiles shrugged. “They don’t exist now. The idea of a temporal paradox is a myth. The tiniest detail can have bigger repercussions. Like ripples. Lydia, Scott and I were at a point in twenty-fourteen, but hundreds, if not thousands, of events had to occur to get us to that moment. By coming back here and undoing as many of them as we can, we’re changing everything. Some things might still happen, I guess.” He bit his lip, wondering if keeping Peter sane would mean that Allison never moved to Beacon Hills. “Huh. Uh, anyway... Our bodies can’t be where they were, in that year, because we won’t have gone there, in the first place. If you think about it, it’s more like we just had thirteen years of premonitions, more than anything else. If zipping around in time to meet myself was that easy, I’d have ended up stabbing myself in the throat or something. Trust me.” 

Lydia glanced around warily when they got to the park. She turned to face Peter. “Malia Tate. She’s your daughter, but she was adopted. Talia took your memory of her. I don’t know why. It seemed like it was payback for something you did to Derek, but you never actually did that thing to Derek, since Paige wasn’t his girlfriend, she was yours. Maybe there’s more going on here than you ever wanted to tell us, and I don’t care to hear it. You should be with your daughter. She deserves to know you. And you’re nicer when you care.” 

Peter looked stunned, his mouth hanging faintly open. “I’ve - I’ve got a little girl.” He repeated. He took a deep breath and looked away from them, repeating it to himself. His eyes widened with realization, and he looked back at the kids, distraught. “Was she with you? In the future?”

“She was.” Stiles said carefully, even though he knew Peter would hear the unspoken words. “She was my first girlfriend. I think... you need to tell us why Talia would do this to you.”

Peter swallowed roughly. “I don’t know.” He said quietly. “I don’t… she’d do it if she thought it was for my own good. If she thought we were in danger, maybe.”

“That makes sense.” Stiles muttered. “Tell her to give the memories back. We’ll go with you and make sure she does. I have a feeling that if she tries to refuse, she’ll listen when she realizes that she doesn’t really have an option. Of course, after that, we’re kind of screwed. I haven’t met an alpha yet who likes being backed into a corner.” 

“Talia definitely doesn’t enjoy being told she was wrong about something.” Peter agreed, frowning. “But she is self-aware enough to understand when she’s been wrong. And if she gives you any trouble, well…” His lips tightened unhappily.

Scott leaned toward Lydia, clutching tightly at her hand. He looked nervously at her, then tried his best to keep his voice as low as possible. “Do you think this was because of the Desert Wolf?” He whispered.

Lydia nodded. “Definitely.” 

“Let’s just head back over to the house.” Stiles suggested. “Because all of this wondering isn’t doing any of us any good.” He looked up at Peter. “What exactly do you think she would do to us, though? Just out of curiosity?” 

Peter stared down at Stiles, blinking. “Do to you?” He repeated. “What - she wouldn’t do anything to you. She wouldn’t do anything to children.”

“Yeah, except we’re not children.” Stiles snorted. “Is it the height thing? Because that’s kind of rude. Have you ever watched Austin Powers?” 

Peter rolled his eyes. “She wouldn’t do anything to you because physically, you’re children. And - honestly, you’re still probably about thirty years younger than Tally with your actual ages, so she’d still see you as children compared to her. Whatever.”

Scott stared at Peter, bewildered. “Your sister is thirty years older than we were at nineteen?” He paused, and then shuffled in place a little, tilting his head. “She looks pretty good for her age.”

“Dude, this is so not the time.” Stiles shook his head. “Even if we were physically nineteen, which we’re not, so it’s a little - well, not gross on your side of things, but if she even considered it, it would be. I’d have to get my dad involved and I don’t want to do that.” 

“I’m just saying, I didn’t think she was that much older than us!” Scott protested. “I wasn’t trying to be weird!”

Peter rolled his eyes skyward. “Back to the house, come on.” He turned and glanced down at Lydia. “How did you all get involved in this sort of thing? How did you - know about werewolves in the first place? Family members?”

“Nobody told me a thing.” Lydia shook her head. “My boyfriend was bitten, at his own behest, but he reacted differently to it. You and your nephew were going to kill him. In fact, you did. But somehow, it was only temporary. He moved away and I spent that summer studying everything I could find.” 

Peter frowned. “We… killed him but it was temporary?” He looked bewildered. “I don’t understand. I can only imagine that happening if he…” He paused and stared at Lydia with wide eyes. “What exactly did he turn into, when he ‘reacted differently’?”

“A kanima. And I have it on good authority that you don’t know what that is, yet. You’re more than likely going to look it up as soon as you’ve found Malia.” Lydia smiled. “Priorities, Peter.” 

Peter’s lips twitched a little, and then he smiled back at her. “Priorities.” He agreed.

When they got back to the house, Stiles walked in without knocking, confident in the fact that the werewolves inside would hear his heartbeat before they saw him. 

“Is everything all right?” Talia set her cup of tea down and stood up. 

“You took something from me.” Peter said bluntly, walking toward his sister. “Something from my mind. I’d like it back, please.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Talia said firmly. 

“I do.” Stiles raised his hand slightly. “Don’t make him ask again.” 

“Stiles!” Lydia sighed and sat down beside Claudia. “He’s going to keep doing this and someone’s not going to back down.” She muttered. 

“Talia.” Peter looked at her calmly, brushing his hand lightly over Stiles’ shoulder. “Give it back to me. Give - her - back to me. You can’t be the one that always says how important family is, and how important it is we stick together, and then take away mine.”

Without realizing he was doing it, Stiles leaned back slightly against Peter. In a time that hadn’t happened yet, but he had already experienced, Stiles had several conversations with Peter that he had enjoyed. He still hadn’t trusted that man, but this was a different person altogether. 

Talia watched Stiles curiously for a moment, then nodded. She stepped forward, lifting a hand and putting it on the back of her brother’s neck. Her claws dug into his skin, and she gave him back the memories he had asked for: the way that Peter’s ex had betrayed him, had carried his children to term, then gave all three up for adoption and taunted him. Talia had wanted to declare war on Corinne, but she had her own children to think of. She needed Peter to snap out of his depressed state, so she had taken advantage of abilities that he didn’t possess. 

Peter came to, cursing quietly and putting his hands to his head as he took in the sudden flood of memories filtering through his mind. “I goddamn hate that this is the only way to give me my damn memories back.” He snapped at her before his eyes widened faintly, his lips parting. “Malia’s not the only one?” His eyes snapped over to his sister’s, astonished. “I have multiple kids? What - where are they? How do we find them and get them back?”

“I’ve kept track of them.” Talia folded her arms across her chest. “You’ll need a DNA test for all three.” 

Peter waved his free hand dismissively in the air. “Fine, yes, whatever, I’ll DNA test the hell out of myself and them, I don’t care.” He looked over at his older niece and nephew. “The kids have cousins. I’ve got kids, you’ve got a niece and nephews. The safest damn place in the world for them is here, with their pack. I’ll do anything I have to do, so long as they’re here with us.” His other hand lightly squeezed Stiles’ shoulder.

“We should go.” Stiles turned toward his mom. “Thank you for believing us and for driving us here.” 

Claudia smiled. “You’re welcome, but we don’t have to leave yet, if you don’t want to.” 

Scott looked hopeful, glancing at Stiles and Lydia. “Do either of you want to leave? Really leave, I mean?”

“No, I don’t.” Lydia smiled at Scott. 

“Yeah, we can stay, I just thought maybe they needed time to themselves?” Stiles shrugged. 

Derek kicked his feet a little, staring at the other three in fascination. “We can keep ourselves busy with other stuff?” He suggested.

“Like what?” Stiles looked intrigued. “Do you have video games?” 

Derek nodded and slid down off of the couch eagerly. “We’ve got everything. Mama and Uncle Peter got us the Playstation two, and a GameCube, and we still have a Super Nintendo that Uncle Peter used to play with, and we’ve got lots of the games that go with them.”

“Okay.” Stiles smiled. “Anything Mario Brothers is fine with me.” 

“We’ve got that.” Derek assured him, grinning back at the other boy. He bounced on the balls of his feet once, and then took off toward the den, waving at the others to follow.

Stiles motioned for Lydia to go ahead, waiting until they were a safe enough distance away from the older adults and hoping they weren’t listening when he spoke. “Are you thinking of doing the thing today?” He asked Scott. “Because today is kinda soon. I think you should talk to your mom, but I get it, you know? Forgiveness is easier than permission. That’s basically my life motto.” 

Scott hesitated, and then shook his head. “I want to, but I want my mom here, too. It hurt last time, and I didn’t do the best job of cleaning it up, and if Mom’s there… it, I don’t know, it makes sense to me for her to know, and for her to be there, you know?”

“Yeah.” Stiles was quiet. “I still don’t want to do it.” 

“I know.” Scott said softly, pressing his shoulder gently against Stiles’.

Stiles hugged Scott, then led him down the hall as he looked around for Lydia and Derek. “I realized something after we got here.” He glanced at Scott. “If Kate doesn’t burn the house down and Peter stays sane, then Allison won’t move here. Her parents won’t have a reason to be here.” 

Scott’s face fell, and he was silent for a long time. “Maybe it’s better like that.” He said eventually. “She’ll be safer that way.” It looked visibly devastating for him to say it, but it was true - if the changes they made meant that Allison would no longer move to the town that had killed her in the end, then he would live with it. He would rather that she be safe and living somewhere else, instead of constantly being in danger every minute of her life.

“Okay.” Stiles murmured. “But I want to find her, after all of this. She matters, you know? Even if she doesn’t know us, even if she’s different, I just want to see that she made it.” 

Scott’s eyes stung, and he nodded. Rubbing one arm over them and staring down at the wetness that came away with his sleeve, he exhaled shakily and looked back up at Stiles. “She always matters.” He agreed, then fell silent as a thought occurred to him. “But I don’t want Kate and Gerard around her. I remember that she said she hadn’t seen Gerard since she was three the last time around, but… if we’re changing things here, things could change everywhere. There has to be things that Kate’s done, that Gerard’s done that could get them put away for life, now. Otherwise, we’re risking a huge chance that if Allison’s different this time around, she’s going to be… really different.”

“I’ll use my dad’s computer and see what I can find.” Stiles murmured. “But for now, let’s just go play video games with Derek.” 

Scott nodded. “Yeah.” He agreed. “Okay.” He looked around the hall, listening carefully and frowning before he shrugged and started searching the rooms. “Forgot I don’t have the hearing anymore.” He muttered.

“But you will.” Stiles smiled. “Maybe I can stay at your house tonight and we can talk to your mom, together? Or did you want to wait until your dad is gone?” 

“I want to wait until my dad is gone.” Scott said firmly. “But - maybe we can just group our moms and your dad and tell them everything altogether? Your mom already knows, she can help calm your dad down when he does that shaky panic-breath thing and then puts his head down on the table.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, he does that a lot. Okay. But we, uh, don’t have a whole lot of time? So it shouldn’t wait until your dad moves out. It should be before that.” 

“Emergency family meeting when my dad’s working late?” Scott suggested.

“What are the odds of that being tonight?” Stiles snorted. “I’m impatient as hell. That’s not a secret. The sooner we say something, the sooner we’ll have actual legal help with getting Allison away from those nutjobs. Or getting them away from her. Whatever.” 

“Right.” Scott murmured, and then paused at a doorway before patting his elbow and leading Stiles inside.

Derek looked up at them from where he was setting up the game systems and smiled brightly. “Hey. I’ve got Super Mario and the sequels ready to go, if you want to pick.” He looked over at Lydia a little shyly. “You can have the player one controller.”

Lydia grinned. “Thank you.” She sat down and picked up the controller. “Since you two took forever,” she told Scott and Stiles, “you get next. I want to play against Derek.” 

Scott huffed a laugh. “Fine, okay.” He agreed, and then sat down on the couch, watching the other two.

Stiles sat beside Scott. He was looking at the tv, but his mind was elsewhere. They needed to tell their parents what was really going on, make sure Allison was safe, help Isaac get away from his dad, prevent Boyd from losing his sister, and figure out a way to stop Jennifer Blake from using Beacon Hills like every citizen in it was cannon fodder. After that, they would deal with the Dread Doctors - who wouldn’t have Theo this time around, if they could put a stop to that - and do something about Tamora Monroe. Even though the horribly-bad-at-her-job counselor had insisted that she had a cause for behaving the way she did, Stiles figured a psychopath was a psychopath, and he didn’t want her inflicting herself on anyone. 

Scott leaned briefly against Stiles, watching as Derek turned the console on, and then huddled in place next to Lydia. “Stop thinking so hard.” He whispered.

“I can’t help it.” Stiles whispered back. “It would seriously just be easier to move, you know? Get this place declared a toxic zone or something, make everyone evacuate. But if we’re stuck on a freaking hellmouth, we might as well make sure everyone else is safe, right? Me and my baseball bat. I’m kind of useless, otherwise.” 

“You couldn’t be useless if you tried.” Scott told him bluntly. “Even without the bat.”

Stiles smiled, but shook his head. “Me against any werewolf? I’m going to lose. I appreciate you saying otherwise, but seriously.” 

Scott glanced toward Derek, and then out of the doorway, before looking back at Stiles. “You could try magic?” He suggested. “Or… maybe get the bite?”

“I’m not doing that.” Stiles glanced at Derek. “No offense. It’s just not for me.” He looked back at Scott. “I’ll figure out something. I got us here, so I know I can at least do that.” 

Scott nodded. “You’ve kind of got a talent for magic.” He murmured. “But I’m with you, whatever you decide to do.”

“I’ll research more and talk to you about it later.” Stiles bit his lip. “Maybe they’ll let me use their computer here? Derek?” 

“Sure.” Derek replied, without taking his eyes off the screen. “Uncle Peter’s desktop is right over there,” and he somehow managed to gesture behind them without taking his hands off of the controller. “The password is under the desk on a sticky pad.”

“Thanks.” Stiles walked over to the desk and looked for the password. He pouted in disappointment when the computer-generated series of numbers and letters didn’t reveal anything about Peter, except that he was too lazy to create his own password. He waited for the computer to finish booting up. “One thing I don’t miss? This crappy technology. Is it twenty-ten yet?” 

Scott snorted out a laugh. “Sorry, buddy, we’ve got a ways to go.” He shuffled up from the couch and followed Stiles, squirming onto the chair and attempting to leave enough room for Stiles.

Stiles bit his lip. “Fine, but don’t say anything about what I'm typing.” He looked down at the keyboard, then his hands. “Trying to type. My hands are too freaking small.” He muttered, using the hunt-and-peck method to type out ‘kitsune types’, then hit enter. 

Scott glanced over at Stiles in concern, but didn’t say anything, as Stiles had requested. He did, however, lean a little closer, staring at the computer screen as the web results slowly loaded. “What exactly are we looking for?” He asked softly.

“I don’t want to say.” Stiles muttered. “I think you should just let me do this. I’m sorry.” 

Scott fell silent, but nodded and slid off the chair, wandering back over to the couch and sinking onto one of the seats. He determinedly stared at the tv screen.

Stiles started a new search, this time for ‘how to become a kitsune.’ He figured that the first one, or ones, couldn’t have just come from nowhere, they had probably evolved somehow. He wondered if he could somehow be a nogitsune and not hurt anyone. 

Derek was doing his best to ignore the tension in the air - he could practically taste it, it was so thick - and kept his attention on the video game he was playing with Lydia, alternating his gaze every so often between the tv and the girl. “You’re really good at this.” He told her. “My sister is, too. But she used to unplug the second controller when I was younger, and make me think I was playing when I wasn’t. She only stopped doing it when Mom caught on.”

“I have an older sister. She had a steady boyfriend throughout high school, and he would come over sometimes and play video games with me.” Lydia glanced at Derek and smiled. “I haven’t done this in a while.” 

Still looking shy, Derek ducked his head and said, “You can come over and play anytime you want to. If you want to, I mean. If it’s okay?”

“I’d like that.” Lydia nodded. “I’m probably busy this weekend, I'm going to see my grandmother. But next week sometime, I’ll come back. Or you could come to my house.” 

“Okay.” Derek agreed, grinning widely. “I’d like that, too.”

Lydia got up and grabbed a piece of paper from the desk, pointedly ignoring Stiles’ search on the laptop screen, and wrote her address down for Derek. She sat back down and handed it to him. 

Derek took the paper and studied it for a beat, then tucked it into his pocket. “Thanks.” He murmured, his eyes studying Lydia’s face as he smiled. 

“Does that invite extend to all of us?” Scott blurted, looking bewildered by Derek’s attention to the red-haired girl. 

Stiles turned around in the chair and peered at Derek, then looked at Lydia. He snorted and turned back around, shaking his head. 

Derek shrugged. “Yeah, if you want it to. I could always use more friends.”

“Then we’ll be here on Monday.” Stiles remarked, not turning around again to face Derek. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised, since Derek had always made a habit of talking to everyone else and ignoring him. He clicked through a few more links, then made an email address for himself and pasted the links into an email that he sent himself. When he was done, he cleared the history and cache of the laptop, then shut it down and closed it. 

“Cool.” Derek murmured, furrowing his brow at the younger-looking boy. He fidgeted uncertainly, suddenly realizing that he’d been paying more than enough attention to Lydia, and barely any to the two other boys. He wondered what he’d need to do to get Scott and Stiles to like him - he figured his ease with Lydia was only because she was one, younger than him and two, he’d been surrounded by women for the last six years, since Cora had been born. “Um… do you want to play now?” He asked Stiles, holding up his controller and looking hopeful. 

“I would.” Stiles murmured. “But I actually have to take care of something. I’ll come back here tomorrow. Is that okay?” 

Derek nodded, and then smiled tentatively at Stiles. “Yeah, definitely. I’ll be here.”

Stiles smiled back and clapped a hand on Derek’s shoulder. “See you tomorrow, then.” He walked out of the room, going back to where he had left his mom.

Claudia glanced up, giving her son a guilty smile as she tugged her shirt down, hiding the white bandage that Talia had just finished putting over the bite mark that the alpha had also administered. 

“Mom?!” Stiles blurted. “No! Why would you...” Her reasoning dawned on him, before she even had to explain herself, and he stared at her in horror. “You already got diagnosed, didn’t you?” 

Claudia gave him a confused look, but she nodded. “Yes. I know what the odds are, and I’m guessing that you do, too. I thought this might help me defy them.” 

“Okay.” Stiles said quietly. “Um, I need you to drive me somewhere else. I think Scott and Lydia are still playing video games with Derek, though.” 

Peter was sitting back, having been watching the proceedings. He glanced at Stiles curiously. “Where do you need to go? I figured you’d be playing with them.”

“I’m coming back here tomorrow.” Stiles smiled faintly. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t have to tell you everything, Peter. You didn’t ever tell me everything.” 

Peter tilted his head. “I probably had a reason for that.” He commented. “But fine, keep your secrets.” His lips twitched as he smiled back at Stiles. 

“I’ll tell you if I feel like telling you.” Stiles called over his shoulder, already walking to the door. “Mom, come on!” 

Claudia laughed as she stood up. “I’ll be back at some point tonight. I’ll have to drop Lydia off at home, and Stiles will probably stay at Scott’s.” 

“If you can’t, don’t worry about it.” Peter assured her. “I’ll take the kids home, or wherever they want to go.”

“I don’t mean to offend you, but I think Melissa McCall might not approve of a stranger dropping her son off.” Claudia smiled. 

Peter gave it some thought, and then huffed out a small laugh. “Fair enough. I’ll have to meet Miss McCall eventually. Then we won’t be strangers.” He grinned and stood up, holding a hand out to Claudia. “It was a pleasure meeting you. And welcome to the pack.”

“Thank you.” Claudia nodded. “That’s Mrs., though. Not Miss. Her husband is a jackass of epic proportions, but they’re legally bound to one another. And certain children should pretend they didn’t hear that.” 

“Mom, whatever, everybody knows that Rafe is a douchebag.” Stiles looked impatient. “Can we please go now?!” 

“Wait!” Scott blurted, racing out to meet them. “I wanna come, too!” He faltered as he got closer to Stiles, reaching out to grab the other boy’s shoulder in order to brace himself as he caught his breath. “I wanna - come, too,” He said again, panting and looking up at Stiles pleadingly. “Please?”

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, okay.” He called out softly, glancing toward the hallway. “Hey, Derek, tell Lydia we’ll be back in a little while, okay?” 

Peter glanced the same way, and then looked down at Stiles. “He says ‘okay,’” He murmured. “She’ll be safe here. Promise.”

“I know.” Stiles said firmly, smirking at Peter. “You don’t want to know what I’ll do if she’s not.” He walked outside, waiting for his mom to help him and Scott into the Jeep. 

“I understand that you’re worried about leaving Lydia here.” Claudia started the Jeep after making sure both boys were buckled in, then drove toward town. “But you’re being rude to someone who doesn’t deserve it. I don’t know what he did to you, but that hasn’t happened yet, and you said that you were taking steps to make sure he won’t be like that. You’re taunting him, and I don’t approve.” 

Stiles’ jaw clenched and he turned his head to stare out the window, not responding. 

Claudia sighed. “Fine. At least tell me where the hell I’m driving you?” 

“Deaton’s. The animal clinic.” Stiles muttered, frowning. 

“Mischief, I want a better answer than that, or I’ll just take you straight home.” Claudia snapped. 

“I need to talk to Deaton because he’s a druid and he knows more about magic than I do. I need to know what I can do. I know I can manipulate mountain ash, but I don’t understand why and he never bothered telling me. He’s never been willing to give answers and I’m tired of that.” Stiles looked over at Scott. “I’m not leaving his office until he tells me something concrete.” 

Scott nodded silently, his gaze intently focused on Stiles. “We’ll make sure we get a real answer out of him.” He said softly.

Stiles smiled, leaning toward Scott to hug him. “Thanks. I know he’s kind of like a surrogate dad for you.” 

“Your dad is a surrogate dad for me.” Scott corrected softly, hugging Stiles back. “Deaton was… a role model, maybe. Someone to look up to, who gave me a chance at a job that I couldn’t even have in the… other time. But your dad’s the one that’s always been there for me, right alongside you. He’s the one that I…” He trailed off, shrugging eventually.

Stiles nodded. When his mom parked the Jeep, he unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out on his own, too impatient to wait. 

Claudia huffed in minor irritation, looking at Scott. “He’s like this when he gets older too, isn’t he?” 

Scott smiled sympathetically at her and shrugged again. He said slowly, “Well… he only got to have you around for a handful of years.” He paused. “And yeah, he is.”

“I suspected it would come to that.” Claudia instinctively touched her side. “Not this time, though.” She lifted Scott out of the Jeep, setting him down beside her and inhaling softly, not wanting to let on that her side was still hurting her.

Scott reached up without thinking, touching her side like he sensed it - only for his face to fall when he remembered that he couldn’t take her pain. At least, not yet. He chewed on his lower lip, and then said, “Maybe Deaton will have some pain meds? Tylenol or something?”

Claudia laughed. “Maybe he will.” She nodded. “Though I guess I should get used to being treated by a veterinarian.” She walked into the clinic, where Stiles was pacing impatiently. She grabbed his wrist, just as he reached for the bell on the counter. “I’m telling you right now, nobody will be willing to help you if you do what you’re thinking of doing.” 

“How do you know, anyway?” Stiles grumbled. 

“Where do you think you get your attitude from, kid?” Claudia tapped the bell, then sat down to wait. 

“Just a moment.” A voice called out from the back.

Scott startled a little - it felt like it had been years since he’d heard Deaton’s voice, when in reality, it had only been… weeks? Months? Maybe it technically was years. 

Deaton stepped through the doorway and paused behind the desk, looking curiously at the trio. “Can I help you?” He asked, raising both eyebrows.

“Yeah, I need some help. Just, not with an animal. Not exactly.” Stiles said calmly, looking up at Deaton, squinting after a moment. “Were you always that tall?” 

Claudia snorted and stood up, walking over to the counter. “My son says you’re a druid and he has a few questions for you, not pertaining to your height.” 

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. 

Deaton studied all three of them, then nodded and opened the gate. “Come on back, we’ll talk privately.” 

Stiles went into the back room where he had once been pressured to cut Derek’s arm off. He exhaled shakily and turned to look at the veterinarian once everyone else was in the room with him. “I think you can tell certain things about people.” He began. “But ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you don’t give enough details on anything. And unfortunately for us,” he gestured to himself and Scott, “you only interacted with us in this capacity about fifty times, at most.” He glanced at Scott. “Maybe you should talk to him, you’re better at this than I am.” 

Scott looked at Stiles with wide eyes, and then furrowed his brows determinedly before saying firmly, “We need you to tell us everything you need to know about what Stiles can be. He has magic - some kind of magic. You told him a long time ago…” He paused, looking confused. “Or… in the future… whatever. He has a spark. He can manipulate mountain ash, he closed a circle of it around an entire building from just a handful.” He looked at Stiles. “He - we - think he can do more, much more. So… um. Tell us what he can do?”

Deaton turned to look at Stiles again. “Excuse me, I’ll just be a moment.” He left the room, returning a couple of minutes later with a locked box. He unlocked it, putting the key in his pocket and opening it. He took out a small stack of pictures, spreading them out in a row on the metal table. “I want you to look at each of these in turn, and if the image appeals to you, set it aside. Start here.” He pointed to the first picture in the row.

Stiles looked at the first picture. It was a tornado, taken from a far enough distance that the photographer had captured how massive it was. He bit his lip, then pushed that forward before he moved onto the second photo. It was a beach, he was pretty sure. There was no water in the picture, so the sand could have been in the desert, but he somehow knew that it wasn’t. He shook his head and left that picture alone, going to the third. He barely had to glance at it before he was onto the fourth one, because the third image was of fire and he was determined to stay as far from that as possible. Images four and five were of a river and a golden palace, and he scoffed and took a step to his right to look at the sixth image, but Deaton spoke. 

“Why did you react that way?” The veterinarian looked curious. 

“You told me to only set aside the ones that made sense to me, personally. And that one is Heaven.” Stiles pointed, careful not to touch the picture. He somehow knew that was important. “Or at least, it’s what someone thinks Heaven is. I think that’s ridiculous. Heaven wouldn’t look that impersonal, right?” 

“That’s a question I actually cannot answer.” Deaton’s lips twitched. “Please, continue.” 

Stiles shrugged and looked at the picture of a storm. He hesitated for a few seconds, then pushed the photo forward and moved on. The mountain in the next photo had him moving on again, and he gulped at the picture of fireflies in the darkness. “Um.” 

“We won’t talk about anything further until you’re done with this.” Deaton said patiently. “If you feel spiritually connected to the photo at all, move it like you did with the others, and finish this up.” 

Stiles carefully didn’t meet Scott’s gaze as he moved the picture. 

Scott reached out to touch Stiles’ shoulder, squeezing gently. He didn’t speak, but he took a deep breath and then let it out, hoping that his attempt to relax would in turn help Stiles relax a little as well.

Stiles closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly. He reached up to pat Scott’s hand, then opened his eyes and moved on, relieved that for once, the druid was being useful. A prism with multiple colors streaming from it was the next picture. Stiles pushed that forward, then ignored the clock and pushed forward the forest photo, before he looked at the pictures of the ocean and sheet music. He looked up at Deaton again and shook his head. “That’s it, I’m done.” 

“It’s interesting that you felt no connection to the clock photo.” Deaton remarked, gathering the rejected images and putting them back into the box. “Since you traveled through time to get here.” 

Stiles shrugged. “That was for survival, not because I watched a lot of Doctor Who or anything.” 

Deaton chuckled. “Well, of the thirteen, you identified with five. That’s not entirely unusual, but we’ll narrow things down further.” He set two more pictures down in front of Stiles. 

Stiles recognized the nemeton, but not the two trees that had somehow become intertwined as they grew. 

“Which of these seems more interesting?” Deaton asked.

“Well, I already know that the nemeton is kind of evil.” Stiles remarked. “But I’ve never seen the other trees in our forest.” 

“Why assume that they’re in our forest at all?” Deaton smiled. 

“Here we go with cryptic.” Stiles muttered. “Okay. It was an assumption, since this town draws things here. Well, people, but... people of a certain quality. Honestly, both pictures interest me.” 

“Hmm.” Deaton set the two images of trees down near the picture of the forest. He was lost in thought for a few seconds, studying the other photos that Stiles had chosen. “Why choose the fireflies, but not the nemeton? I know you’re aware of their connection.” 

“The nemeton didn’t get me where I am, the fireflies did.” Stiles licked his lips. “I know it’s important, since it’s here and everything. It’s just that so much happened because of it, or maybe even in spite of it. I feel like maybe I could handle...” He gestured to the firefly photo. “Maybe I wouldn’t go off the rails if it was me, not something using me as a host.” 

“Hmm.” Deaton repeated. “If it was going to rain right now, what would you do?” 

“I’d go outside in it, if I could.” Stiles frowned. “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” 

“You will, just have some patience.” Deaton said calmly. “What’s your favorite part of a storm?” 

“Lightning.” Stiles said automatically, smiling faintly. 

Deaton put the picture of the tornado away. “And if you saw someone outside, who didn’t have an umbrella, would you laugh or help them?” 

“It depends on who it is.” Stiles admitted. “Because some people should have planned better or they shouldn’t be miserable in the rain, it’s just nature.” 

Deaton put the picture of the storm away. “What do you think when you hear ghost stories?” 

“That they’re probably made up?” Stiles hesitated. “I mean, I know that spirits exist and everything, but it just seems like... a lot of it is crap.” 

Deaton put away the picture of the prism. “What makes you feel safer, night time or the forest?” 

“The forest.” Stiles watched as Deaton put away the picture of the fireflies. “Wait, I thought-” 

“You thought incorrectly.” Deaton smiled. “At least, at this particular stage of your life. You can think of the nogitsune as a sort of subset of any of the other kitsune types. If something happens to make you angry or vengeful, that could be a problem. But for now, I think this truly represents who you are, and the fact that you were able to manipulate mountain ash proves that.” 

“So you could have just told me what I was to start with?” Stiles looked affronted. 

“No, because everyone has the opportunity for being any number of things.” Deaton murmured. “It’s what you decided for yourself that makes you who you are, and nobody else can choose that for you.” 

“Okay. Then, what am I supposed do with this?” Stiles gestured vaguely. 

“You learn to control it. Why don’t you spend this weekend walking around in the woods and see how you feel, on Monday?” Deaton suggested. “You can come back here after school and we’ll talk more.” 

Stiles looked at his mom. “Can I do that?” 

“You did tell Derek you would see him tomorrow.” Claudia reminded Stiles. “So if he wants to go with you, that’s fine with me.” 

Scott smiled at Stiles. “He’ll go with you.” He told Stiles confidently, nodding his head up and down. “He lives there - he would know it better than anyone else, and I bet he could show you all of the secret stuff that he never showed us the first time around.”

Stiles smiled. “Okay. I’ll come back on Monday.” He told Deaton. 

***

A couple of hours later, Lydia watched as Stiles hopped around like an annoying cricket, while they ate pizza for dinner. She glanced at Scott. “I think we should tell them now. Stiles’ head might explode if we wait even one more second.” 

Scott covered his mouth with one hand, giggling helplessly. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He agreed. “But it’s funny.”

Lydia smiled. “I never said it wasn’t funny. Oh god, he’s pissed off at us. He went from ‘cricket’ to ‘praying mantis.’” She giggled. 

“Are you two done?” Stiles stared at them, annoyed. He turned toward their parents. “Hey, we need to tell you something.” 

“Now?” Claudia asked, surprised. 

“Yep, now.” Stiles nodded. 

“What’s now?” John asked, looking at his wife and son in turn, his eyebrows quirking up.

“Scott, Lydia and I time-traveled.” Stiles began, talking at the same time as his mother. 

“I let a werewolf bite me.” Claudia blurted. 

John blinked slowly at them both, and then inhaled deeply and shut his eyes, his fingers lifting to pinch at the bridge of his nose. After a moment, he said, flatly, “What.”

“We were nineteen.” Lydia stood up. “And it was almost Christmas, and things were going badly. We won’t tell you how badly, but it was enough that we felt we needed to escape in a drastic way. Now we’re here and we’ve decided to try to set things right, to prevent anything from going wrong that we can. There are some things that we weren’t able to stop, and we’ll have to deal with the repercussions of that when the time comes. But we’re not making this up. We’ll tell you anything you want to know, so long as it’s safe.” She looked at her mom. “And Grandma is a banshee. I am, too. That’s why I’ve been spending so much time on the phone with her. She’s teaching me how to be better at it. I already explained all of this to her.” 

Natalie frowned, walking toward Lydia and putting a hand on her daughter’s forehead. “Your grandmother is suffering from delusions, it’s why she’s locked away.” 

“But that’s not true. And we need to get her out of there!” Lydia protested. “One of the orderlies is going to kill her. Please, Mom.” 

“I don’t care what she told you-” Natalie shook her head. 

“She didn’t tell me, it happened!” Lydia turned toward Stiles. “Nevermind them being in the dark on any of it, they won’t listen. Go get your notebook.” 

Stiles nodded and ran to his room, coming back with the timeline he had written down. He handed it to his dad, wary of giving it to Natalie, because he thought she might destroy it. 

John accepted the book carefully, slowly flipping it open to the first page. He was silent for a long time as he read through it, fingers tracing his son’s writing, his eyes flicking back and forth as he quickly passed from line to line. It was hard to reconcile what the kids were telling them, but there were a few things that Stiles had included on this timeline that John didn’t remember them ever talking about, and he took another deep breath. As he finished reading, he closed the notebook slowly and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “What do you need me to do? Be? Whatever, anything?” He asked, looking at the trio in front of him.

“Just help us with a few things?” Stiles asked. “We need to find Kate Argent and Gerard Argent and see that they’re arrested and put in prison for any crimes they’ve committed. You’ll probably be able to connect them to arson, if you keep track of where they’ve lived and any mysterious fires around that time. They’re not subtle.” 

“And I want my grandmother somewhere safe.” Lydia added, scowling at her mom before she looked back at John. She turned toward Melissa. “And you need to make your husband go away, somehow. And not let him have custody of Scott.” 

“And she yells at me for getting carried away.” Stiles muttered to Scott. To his dad, he said, “And we need to find Jennifer Blake and get her for anything. Parking tickets or speeding, even if it’s just a mile over.” 

John had reached for the notebook again, and had written what the kids had said on to one of the few blank pages in the back. He paused, looking up at Lydia, and then looking at Melissa. “What’s going on with your husband?” He asked, frowning. He glanced at Claudia to see if his wife had any idea. It couldn’t be that Rafe was being a dick - that was well-known, despite not talked about.

Melissa kept her lips pinched together tightly, keeping her eyes away from John and Claudia. She briefly looked up at Lydia and nodded sharply. “I’ll take care of it.”

Claudia hugged Melissa. “If you need any help, let me know.” 

Melissa shut her eyes, leaning against Claudia. She nodded. “I will. Of course I will.” She said softly.

Natalie looked at the other adults, then sighed as her gaze went to her daughter. “I’ll make a phone call and get your grandmother released.” 

***

After spending the night at Scott’s house, Stiles was quiet on the drive over to the Hales’, remembering everything that Deaton had done the day before. He hugged his mom when they were invited in by Talia, then wandered through the house. “Hey, Derek, I’m back.” 

Derek sat up, looking pleased when his eyes locked on Stiles. “You are.” He said softly. “I mean - you did. You came back.” He shook his head, trying to clear it. “So what do you want to do?”

“Go for a walk in the woods.” Stiles smiled. “I have to talk to you about some stuff, maybe you can help me?” 

Derek’s head bobbed eagerly. “Sure.” He blurted. “I like being helpful.”

“Yeah?” Stiles felt like he had met three different Dereks, based on how the adult had treated him, compared to the teenager, and now this one. He walked outside, turning toward Derek on the front porch. “I talked to Deaton yesterday. He’s your mom’s emissary. You probably didn’t know that, unless she told you last night? You didn’t know when you were an adult.” 

Derek looked bewildered. “Mom didn’t say anything. No one is supposed to know who the emissary is unless it’s the Alpha and her left hand, and that’s my mom and Uncle Peter.” He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked with Stiles. “What did you talk to him about? What did he say?”

“I was trying to figure out why I’m able to do some of the things I can do.” Stiles glanced at Derek. “He never did explain anything to me, before. But he says that I’m a forest kitsune. It makes sense. He told me to spend time in the forest this weekend and come back and talk to him on Monday.” 

Derek’s eyes lit up with interest. “That’s so cool, though. You’re an actual fox - you should take a look at your genealogy and see who you might have gotten it from. Are there shifters in your family? Or magic?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure it came from my mom. She likes to play pranks, and I do, too.” Stiles smiled. “I do feel calmer, being out here.” 

Derek grinned at him, nodding. “I do, too. Maybe it really does have to do with the type of shifter you are, but there aren’t that many different variations on werewolves. Not like kitsune, anyway. There are people that can use magic to turn into werewolves, but we’re natural lycanthropes, we were born into it. My family stretches back, like… a lot of generations, and there’s not many other families like ours left.”

“I know.” Stiles murmured, reaching out to put his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “But now your family has a chance to really expand, you know? Because I’m not letting Kate Argent anywhere near you.” 

Derek’s eyes softened as his gaze darted to Stiles’ hand, and he smiled hopefully, drawing a deep breath. “I believe you.” He said firmly.

“Can I tell you some things, about how it was?” Stiles asked carefully. “I won’t tell you anything that’s going to upset you. Well, probably.” 

Derek hesitated, furrowing his brows and looking as though he were debating with himself. After a moment, he slowly nodded his head. “Maybe… maybe if I know what it’ll be like, I can be even more careful about who I meet and who I talk to. I don’t want to put my family in danger.”

Stiles smiled warmly and hugged Derek, then pulled back to grin at him. “You really didn’t like me. I mean, I don’t think you did. Lydia says you did. It’s hard to gauge.” He sat down on a fallen log and looked up at Derek. “The first time I met you, you yelled at me and Scott for being on your family’s property. He was trying to find his inhaler, and you threw it to him. Then you sort of disappeared. After that, when you needed my help, you decided that the best way to get it was to slam me into a wall and demand I listen to you. But we took care of each other, too. Sometimes I’d be in danger and you’d protect me, and sometimes it was the other way around.” 

Derek looked slightly ill. “But - but I had to beat you up to get you to help me?” He asked softly, sinking down to the log like a stone. “Why would I do that?”

“I think you were afraid of people.” Stiles shrugged. “Because they’d kind of made a habit of treating you like crap. See, there was this other time where you had been de-aged, kind of like me now, except you didn’t remember ever being older. You thought you were a teenager. I mean, you were one. You just didn’t know that you had been an adult, too. And we got along pretty well, then. You even decided that we were friends right away, which I didn’t think was like you at all. But I wasn’t used to you being like that.” 

Derek swallowed hard, shaking his head. “I don’t wanna be like that.” He said. “I don’t wanna be afraid of people, I don’t wanna be someone that beats other people up. How do I - how do I avoid that?”

“Just trust me.” Stiles murmured. “Because I won’t let anyone else make you become that kind of person. I can tell when someone is good and when they’re not.” 

Derek nodded intently. “I do trust you.” He said softly. “I don’t know why, but I do. Wolves and foxes don’t… necessarily get along.”

“Oh yeah. Scott and Kira kind of proved that wrong.” Stiles shrugged. “But you might not meet her. And anyway, Scott could get along with a rabid kangaroo that kicked him in the face, so there’s that.” 

“I kinda noticed that.” Derek admitted, his lips twitching a little. “He kind of seems like he could be an animal whisperer. Maybe he could get my baby sister to stop biting all of us whenever we play.”

“I’m sure he could.” Stiles laughed. “I feel a little selfish, because I kind of got used to having a lot of people around, and they weren’t around anymore, and I just wanted to have them back. But now that we’re doing all of this, I don’t think I’ll have them back at all. I think they’ll all be safe, and that’s great, but they don’t know what they’ll never have to go through, you know?” He sniffled, smiling grimly. “So they won’t even be my friends. And Scott can make friends with anyone. I can’t.” 

Derek hesitantly reached a hand out to squeeze Stiles’ shoulder gently. “Well… maybe I can be friends with you.” He said softly. “I don’t think you have to make friends with anyone - you just have to make friends with people you want to make friends with. I know I’m not… I’m not your other friends, but I could still be one of them.”

“I want to be your friend.” Stiles nodded. “I came back here to protect you in the first place.” 

Derek beamed. “Good. Okay.” He murmured, and ducked his head, unable to keep himself from smiling.

Stiles grinned. He looked around, thinking. “Do you want to walk around more?” 

Derek nodded. “Yes, please. I can show you the lake Laura and I swim in.” He paused, and fidgeted. “Okay, it’s not really a lake? It’s more of a pond. But still.”

Stiles nodded again. “Yeah, I want to see.” He didn’t think it was a coincidence at all that he had first met Derek right around this exact same spot, and he thought there definitely had to be something to Deaton’s theory. 

“Come on.” Derek murmured, turning and leading the way toward the pond he’d mentioned. It didn’t take long to get there - it was only a ten minute walk from where he and Stiles had been standing, a bit deeper into the Preserve than they had been before. He slowed to a stop when they arrived, and beamed proudly at Stiles, brandishing his hand toward the pond.

Stiles took off his shoes and socks, then glanced warily at his jeans before he shrugged to himself and took them and his shirt off, too. 

Derek accepted that as his cue to do the same, and promptly jumped into the pond with a splash. 

Stiles laughed and followed him in, splashing water at him. It was easy to think of the swimming pool at the high school, but he ignored it and decided to let himself be a six year old, instead. 

Derek sputtered and splashed water right back at Stiles, laughing.

Stiles grinned and ducked under the water, coming up a moment later and wiping water out of his eyes. “Not my best idea.” He coughed, laughing. “And it’s colder than I thought.” 

Derek grinned. “Come on, we can go back to the house and get warm again. I can ask Mom if we can have cocoa?”

“Sounds good.” Stiles got out of the water, but instead of putting his clothes back on, he glanced up at the trees and closed his eyes. Nothing happened, and he snorted and used his shirt to dry himself off as best as he could before he put it back on, then finished dressing. “I thought if I wanted it badly enough, the wind would come through and it would be warm.” 

Derek used his shirt to attempt to scrub his hair dry before he put it back on and got dressed as well. “Maybe you need to train to do that?”

“Or maybe it’s something I can’t do at all.” Stiles guessed. “There are thirteen different kinds, but like, a fire kitsune couldn’t do any sort of magic with water, and vice versa, right? So if I’m a forest kitsune, then I can’t really do anything with air. Probably rocks, though. Since those are from the earth, too. But it would take more of an effort.” 

Derek tilted his head. “Maybe you can make things grow. When I think of the forest, I think of the trees and the earth.” He shrugged, and then his eyes lit up in excitement. “See if you can make a giant tree for us to climb on!”

Stiles thought of the two trees that had been twisted together, from the picture in Deaton’s exam room. He closed his eyes again, lifting his hands because it felt like the right thing to do. He heard leaves rustling, but he didn’t open his eyes. 

“Whoa.” Derek said softly, watching with wide eyes as the ground shook apart and a tree slowly began to grow. “Stiles. Stiles, look.”

Stiles opened his eyes slowly, smiling proudly as a second tree joined the first, and both trunks bent toward one another, spiraling together as they grew. He looked at Derek. “I didn’t know I could do that.” 

Derek grinned slowly. “Now you do. We’ve gotta tell our moms.”

“Okay.” Stiles laughed. “I wonder what else I can make grow.” 

Derek grinned back at him. “Maybe you can make, like, vine traps or something. Make the trees come to life, like in The Wizard of Oz.”

“I don’t know if I could do that.” Stiles laughed again. He shivered, rubbing his arms. “Okay, let’s walk. I’m freezing. Whose idea was that, anyway?” 

Derek snorted. “You’re the one that started taking your clothes off.” He teased. “Come here, I can keep you warm until we get to the house.” He wrapped an arm around Stiles’ shoulders. 

Stiles leaned against Derek as they walked. “What school do you go to? I’ve never seen you at mine.” 

“I don’t.” Derek admitted. “Laura and I are homeschooled. We’re not, um…” He furrowed his brows. “In control of our shift yet. Laura’s closer than me, but Mama doesn’t think we’ll be ready for a few more years yet.”

“Well, maybe you need more time out here, like I do.” Stiles mused. “I think if you haven’t found your anchor yet, you can meditate and find it here. It used to be anger.” He looked at Derek. “But I guess that it’ll never be that, now.” 

Derek grimaced. “Yeah, no. I definitely don’t want it to be that. Right now it’s my family, but they’re only supposed to be temporary until I find a more… solid anchor.”

“Maybe it’s Lydia?” Stiles suggested. “You seemed like you were drawn to her. Believe me, I get it.” 

Derek shrugged a shoulder. “I was thinking it was because I’m more used to being around girls than other boys. Uncle Peter isn’t exactly my age, and my dad… isn’t around. I just have my mom and Laura and Cora.”

“Oh.” Stiles turned toward Derek. “I know what that’s like, kind of. I mean, I have my mom now, but I didn’t for a long time. If she hadn’t gotten the bite from your mom, she would be dead in two years.” 

Derek looked stricken. “Oh, man.” He shook his head. “In that case, I’m glad my mom gave your mom the bite. I don’t want you to lose her.”

Stiles smiled. “Thank you.” He murmured. “What else do you want to do, while I’m here?” 

Derek shrugged his shoulder shyly, smiling. “Whatever you feel like doing. If you want to play video games, we can do that, if you want to read, we can do that. If you wanna harass my sisters… I probably wouldn’t recommend that because Laura’s vicious, but Cora’s wild.”

Stiles laughed. “We could read.” He nodded. “Or watch a movie, maybe?” 

Derek nodded. “Yeah, that’d be cool. We could make some popcorn. Do you like kettle corn or extra butter?” He paused. “Or do you like popcorn, even?”

Stiles grinned. “I love popcorn. Kettle corn is good. Extra butter is okay as long as it’s not from the microwave, because that’s just gritty and weird.” 

“Oh, we don’t get the microwave kind.” Derek assured him. “We have that air popper thing, that way we can put as much butter or sugar or cinnamon or anything that we want on top of it.”

“Awesome.” Stiles walked up onto the front porch. He thought about letting himself in again, but decided he had been rude enough for the past few days. 

Derek pushed the door open, playfully bopping his shoulder against Stiles’ as they made their way in. He looked up at Talia and Claudia, beaming at his mother. “Hi, Mama. Can we have cocoa and popcorn and watch El Dorado or something?”

Talia glanced up at the boys. “Maybe after you’ve had a hot bath. Both of you.” 

Claudia smiled sheepishly when she realized that Stiles was dripping water onto Talia’s floor. 

Derek looked down at himself, and then looked at Stiles, and then grinned winningly at Talia. “Oops?”

Talia laughed. “Go on, go get warm.” She commanded. 

Derek smiled and nodded, then turned to Stiles and grabbed him by the wrist. “Come on. I don’t know if any of my clothes will fit you, but yours are all wet now anyway, so we might as well change?”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Stiles agreed, following Derek out of the room. He wondered if Talia had meant that they should just take one bath together, or separately. He didn’t want to ask, he thought that might make things even more awkward than they already were. 

Stepping into his bedroom, Derek rustled around until he found multiple blankets, and extra clothes that he didn’t think Stiles would mind wearing, before grabbing some clothes for himself. “I figure whoever takes a shower first, the other can use the blanket to stay warm, and then we can switch?” He hesitated. “Or would it just be easier to stay in the bathroom with all the steam?”

“Probably easier to stay in the bathroom.” Stiles agreed. “You can take a shower if you want, I’ll just kinda sit on the toilet or whatever.” 

“There’s a window seat in the corner.” Derek told him. “You can borrow a book, too, if you want?” He grinned. “Or I can steal Laura’s GameBoy.”

“Nah, I’ll probably just talk the whole time.” Stiles grinned. “And the steam would mess up the pages.” 

“True.” Derek laughed. “Okay, I’ll go get the water started and get in.”

Stiles waited patiently outside the door, biting at one of his fingernails. He just wanted everything to go well, and he was still worried that it wouldn’t. 

Splashing noises came from inside the bathroom. “Okay!” Derek called. “You can come in!”

Stiles walked into the bathroom and sat on the window seat. “You know how messed up it is that I lived for about nineteen years and I’m learning cursive in school?” He snorted. “I’m trying to act like a six year old, but I’ll be damned if I remember what that is.” 

Derek laughed. “You could watch videos or - or you could watch Cora. I mean, she’s five, so… close enough?”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Stiles murmured. “Actually, I think Lydia has this whole plan to get us into middle school or high school sometime this autumn, so we can graduate early and then just spend the rest of the time taking care of everything else around here.” 

“Whoa.” Derek blurted, sputtering under the spray of the water a little. He reached for the shampoo, figuring he might as well do his hair while he was in there. “So - so you could be in Laura’s classes, maybe. She’s in her first year of high school, and she’s fourteen so she kind of… pretends she doesn’t know me sometimes?”

“Yeah, probably.” Stiles agreed. “What is she like?” 

“Satan.” Derek muttered. “She can be cool sometimes, but sometimes she’s… um. Well. She’s an older sister. And she’s kind of nuts.”

Stiles laughed. “I think Scott’s probably the closest thing to a sibling I’ve ever had, and he’s not nuts, which means I probably am.” 

“Oh, god.” Derek snorted. “That probably means you and Laura are gonna get along just fine.”

“I guess I should apologize in advance.” Stiles smirked. 

“I guess I should accept it in advance.” Derek laughed. The water shut off, and then Derek’s arm was flailing outside the shower curtain, trying to find a towel before he finally located it. He stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around his waist, hanging comedically low and looking like a skirt more than anything. He looked up at Stiles, his hair hanging in his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to take one, too?”

“I think I’m okay.” Stiles insisted, smiling faintly. “I’m going to get out of here and let you get dressed. I’ll change after you’re done.” 

“Okay.” Derek nodded, and smiled back at Stiles. He reached for his clean shirt and tugged it over his head.

Stiles left the room, closing the door behind him. He was pretty sure that Lydia and Scott would both be yelling at him, and he hadn’t even done anything wrong.

Derek made his way into his room not long after, fully dressed and his hair a riot of black spikes and curls all over his head. He waved a hand at the bathroom. “It’s free… I mean, obviously it is.” He laughed, looking embarrassed. “Sorry. I mean, go ahead and change.”

Stiles grabbed the spare clothes that Derek had given him, going into the bathroom to change quickly. He came back a few minutes later. “Do you want me to see if Lydia and Scott can come over, too? Or is it okay that it’s just us?” 

Derek shrugged. “It’s okay that it’s just us.” He assured Stiles, and then looked at the other boy uncertainly. “Unless you’re not okay with it? I don’t mind inviting them over, too, if you’re not?”

“Dude, we’ve already clocked like, hundreds of hours together, just us.” Stiles laughed. “Okay, maybe not hundreds, but some of them felt pretty long. It’s got to be weird for you, though. Hearing all of this stuff that happened to you, but won’t ever happen, now. It’s like you’re the Dread Pirate Roberts.” 

“It is kinda weird, yeah.” Derek nodded, scratching at his head. “Like it’s not even me, though. I’m not ever going to be that person. I feel bad for you, though, you and Scott and Lydia. You’re gonna have all these memories of people you know being a certain way, and then… meeting completely different people.” He fidgeted a little. “I mean, I saw the way you were with my uncle. He must’ve done something really, really bad before you came back to get that sort of treatment.”

“If I tell you all that he did, will you be okay?” Stiles asked carefully. “Or any of it? If I tell you anything more than what I’ve already told you, would it be too much?” 

Derek thought about it, and then sighed, shaking his head. “It’s probably better if I don’t know. He’s the best uncle. I don’t wanna think about what he might have done in a different time if something happened to all of us.” He tilted his head and smiled crookedly as he quoted, “‘All it takes is one bad day.’”

Stiles burst out laughing. “Yeah, you’re not wrong about that. I’ll need to talk to him about Paige again, at some point. Some stuff still doesn’t add up. But anyway... let’s go watch something.” 

“Okay.” Derek agreed, smiling. He hesitated, and then grabbed the blankets before heading down the stairs.

Stiles followed Derek, but he had decided he did need to talk to Peter and it shouldn’t wait any longer. “How about if you go ahead and start the movie, and I’ll be back in a few minutes?” He told Derek. 

Derek nodded. “Sure. Maybe I’ll busy myself making a fort or something so you can see the whole movie when you come back, instead of only seeing part of it.” He grinned, splitting away from Stiles.

Stiles walked around, looking for Peter. He knew he could have just called out to him, but he didn’t want to do that. He felt like it would be better, somehow, if he didn’t. 

Hearing the footsteps approach, Peter poked his head out of his bedroom with a frown, his eyebrows shooting up when he saw Stiles. “Hi.” He greeted, his expression curious.

“Hey.” Stiles paused for a second. “If Paige is at Juilliard or wherever you said she was, then what really happened with Deucalion, and Paige getting the bite? Did you just combine like, two or three different things?” 

Peter blinked at Stiles, and then stepped back into his room, gesturing at Stiles to follow him and closing the door before he took a seat on his bed. “Paige is at Juilliard.” He murmured. “Or she was, the last I heard. I haven’t spoken to her since my senior year, when we graduated. Before then, even.” He folded his hands together, thinking. “I don’t know exactly what that other version of me told you. I’m not him, I haven’t experienced what he experienced, and I don’t know if he’d tell you the truth, but I don’t know why he’d lie to you about anything, either. But… when I was about seventeen or eighteen, we had a conference of Alphas and Argent hunters arrive in Beacon Hills that Talia was presiding over. I wasn’t included - having the Left Hand in the same building as a bunch of other Alphas under the protection of the Alpha in charge of the territory was considered a threat, sort of.” He shook his head. “Anyway. The entire conference was supposed to be a peace summit, but it was a ruse. Gerard Argent was trying to get revenge on Deucalion - something about justice for his brother, I don’t know, but Deucalion walked away from Gerard’s massacre blind, even though he was left for dead. Around the same time…” A miserable expression settled on Peter’s face, combined with guilt. “I was dating Paige. Thinking of how to get her to take a place in the pack with me. She didn’t know about the supernatural, didn’t know I was a werewolf, but I wanted her to experience what I experienced. ‘The bite is a gift.’” He snorted. “I managed to talk another Alpha - a guy named Ennis - into meeting with me and Paige, maybe discussing the potential of having her as his new beta, since he’d just lost one of his own. Then, when Paige turned, and I took her as my mate, it would mean Ennis could be allied with the Hales.” He set his jaw and smiled bitterly. “I told myself I was doing it for us, and for my sister, so that she could have more support in the community. I was doing it for myself, because I didn’t think I’d be able to keep Paige with me if she were anything but a werewolf. If I just told her what I was, I had no guarantees that she wouldn’t run away from me. I drove her away from me anyway. Ennis bit her before we could even begin to ‘discuss’ anything. She survived it, thank god, but…” He looked away from Stiles. “Once my sister explained what had happened to her, she couldn’t look me in the eyes anymore. She left Beacon Hills as soon as she could.” He shrugged. “And then I spent the next six months trying to drink every liquor store I could find.”

Stiles snorted. “So you watch... oh, wait. No. That doesn’t even exist yet. Um.” He licked his lips, thinking. “So then... that’s when you got her pregnant. Not Paige. Then I guess right around that time is when Deucalion convinced Ennis and Kali to join him? And Julia Baccari was left for dead.” He looked up at Peter again. “What are the odds of Paige coming back here and joining your pack?” 

“Slim to none.” Peter replied promptly. “She wants nothing to do with my family, Stiles. She wants nothing to do with being a werewolf, she wants nothing to do with me. If she could figure out how to reverse the effects of the bite, she would.”

“I heard there’s a way, but it’s probably a myth. I don’t know anyone who ever tried it.” Stiles mused. “If Paige killed Ennis, she might regain her humanity. But anyway, I think someone else in the pack should talk to her. Someone who got the bite willingly, and was human to start with. Like my mom. Or Scott. He’s not really in your pack yet, I know. But he knows the pros and cons better than anyone else. And having her here would be good, I think.” 

“If you say so.” Peter looked at him dubiously. “You’d have to find her contact information. She ceased all communication with me when she left. I don’t even have a trace of a phone number to use.”

“I’m pretty sure ‘Krasikeva’ isn’t the most common last name. Not even in New York.” Stiles mused. “We’re still a few years from the kind of services and apps that can have me find her in two seconds, but I know other resources, anyway. My dad’s the Sher- uh, a deputy, remember? What else... oh. Do you think you have a few minutes to maybe go for a walk past this house I’ll give you the address for? I know that there’s a kid being abused there, but I don’t know if that’s started yet. It might not be for a few more years. But if you happened to hear something, you could call my dad, maybe?” 

Peter looked concerned, but nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’m not about to let some innocent kid get hurt just because some jackass thinks they’ve got a right to do it. I’ll take a look, and call your dad if I find anything out.”

Stiles grinned, hugging Peter. “Thank you.” He blurted. “I like you being like this.” 

Peter stared down at Stiles, bemused. He settled a hand on Stiles’ upper back, then smiled faintly. “Well… I like being like this, too.” He huffed out a small laugh. “Jesus, I must’ve been awful in your time.”

“The worst.” Stiles nodded. “Derek’s need for family was the only thing stopping us from smacking the crap out of you a few times.” He smiled. 

Peter’s smile faltered a little, and he exhaled. “Tell me more about it?” He requested. “That time. Where you’re from, where… I need to protect my family. I should know what could happen. Everything that could happen.”

Stiles nodded again, this time in understanding. “I already asked Derek if he wanted to know. He doesn’t. Can we talk about this somewhere else? Do you have any soundproof rooms in this house?” 

“The bedrooms are soundproofed,” Peter murmured, and then smirked wryly. “Trust me, you don’t want to live in a house filled with werewolves that can hear every moan and creak you make in your bed late at night.”

“Noted.” Stiles laughed. He sat down. “My dad got a call from dispatch, because there was a body in the woods.” He knew better than to say whose body it was. If Peter asked, he wouldn’t lie, but he wasn’t going to volunteer the information. “I wanted to be a cop.” He paused, blinking. “I think I still do? But it’s not for me to decide right now. Anyway, I was the weird kid who was obsessed with crime scene photos and stuff. I guess I quit seeing corpses as people after my mom died. I convinced Scott to come with me, and my dad caught me out there. He made me go home, and I ended up having to leave Scott behind. I thought he’d be okay. You bit him, though. You were feral. Your wolf form was all wrong. You looked like something out of Ghostbusters. And you wanted him to fully be your beta, so you were trying to get him to kill me. And Lydia. And a few other people. While you were doing that, you were also killing the people responsible for the fire and the ones who covered it up. When Derek tried to help us get away from you, you hurt him pretty badly. We thought he was dead. You attacked Lydia to give yourself a back-up plan because you knew that you were doing the wrong thing and you were going to suffer for it. You actually were stable enough to ask me if I wanted to be one of your betas, but I said no. And then you were going to hurt someone innocent, just because she was related to a hunter. But we stopped you. You were gone for awhile, and when you came back, you kept alternating between helping us and trying to be the Dr. Claw to Scott’s Inspector Gadget, and you were about as successful, too. You helped save me from a situation, but you only agreed in exchange for something Lydia knew, that you wanted to know. That was Malia, by the way. We were trying to protect her. You were awful. I need you to fully understand that. I know it seems hard to believe, but you were. We weren’t doing that to hurt you. Anyway, you and I got into this bad situation, and you risked your life to get to Malia, to help save me, again. You were trying to be kind, after that. You bought her a car. She didn’t want it. I think that was probably our fault, that we hadn’t given her a very unbiased account of what you were like. I want to help you get her. Have you talked about a DNA test with her adoptive parents, yet?” 

Peter shook his head, frowning. “No, not yet. I know it’d be wiser to just do it now, but I just want to find the boys first, and then do it all at once, with all three of them.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead. “I’m sorry.” He said softly. “For what my future self did. Alternate self? I can be a vindictive bastard, but going through what he went through… I can see how easily I could go off the rails.”

“Yeah, sometimes it’s just out of our hands.” Stiles shrugged. 

Peter exhaled softly. “Yeah. I don’t know.” He studied Stiles for a moment. “You’re a good kid. Guy. It’s really hard to reconcile your physical age with your actual age.”

“Probably for the best.” Stiles snorted. “I was dating Lydia. We tabled that before this, but it’s not happening now. Maybe one day.”

“Maybe.” Peter murmured, smiling faintly at him. “It would be kind of odd for two six year olds to be in a committed relationship. Of course, Cora declared last week that she was marrying the boy she met at Whole Foods, whether he wanted to or not, so…”

Stiles grinned. “I hope he gets her a nice ring.”

Peter snorted. “I think Cora’s the one that got the ring, actually. One of those twenty-five cent ones out of those vending machines. Surprisingly fancy looking for a piece of tin. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled, once he realizes she was serious.”

“At least she has a life plan. I’m not so sure I do. I mean, stopping everything that went wrong, sure. But beyond that, I have no idea.”

“You’ll think of something.” Peter assured him. “Once you take care of everything you need to take care of, you’ll be able to do anything you want. You’ll even be able to start earlier than you might have before. Just… don’t feel pressured to do anything, alright?” Peter smiled a little and shrugged. “I still don’t know what to do with my life. I’ve been in college for three years, and if I tried to come up with a resume, it would literally say, ‘I do my sister’s dirty work. If I told you what it was, I’d have to kill you.’ So… you know, you’re not alone.”

“What’s your major?” Stiles looked intrigued. “Wait. Am I bothering you? I told Derek I’d watch something with him, but we’ve never had a serious discussion like this.”

Peter snorted. “You’re not bothering me. I’m trying to reconcile the fact that you’re actually a man my age inside of a child’s body, but it’s nice to be able to talk with someone like this. Anyway. I haven’t declared a major. I was thinking of doing something with history, maybe, but there’s another part of me that says maybe I should think about getting something more useful. Hell if I know what.” He looked curious. “What were you going to watch with Derek? I’ll come down and keep you two company, if you want.”

“El Dorado.” Stiles smiled. “Yeah, come on.” He walked back out into the hallway, waiting for Peter.

Peter followed Stiles into the hallway, and then continued down the stairs, putting a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. He grinned widely when he reached the den and saw the pillows and blankets stacked and stretched over chairs and lamps, and the couch, with a tent-like gap in the front, facing the tv. “Very nice, Derek!”

Derek poked his head out from inside the fort and grinned widely. “Thanks!”

Stiles laughed and climbed into the fort. “This is awesome.” He nodded to Derek. “I bet you could build one out of Legos.”

Derek’s face went blank, and then his jaw slowly fell open as his eyes widened. He stared at Stiles like he’d just uncovered the secrets of the universe, and then his gaze whipped toward Peter. “Can I -”

“Your mom’s gonna be the one stepping on them when Cora goes Godzilla on it, she’s got the final say in whether or not you can have that many.” Peter interrupted, holding his hand up with a grin.

Derek scowled. “I was really proud of that White House, too.” He mumbled. 

Peter glanced at Stiles and couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face. “It really was pretty exceptional. Until Cora had her say.”

“Maybe you can build it at my house.” Stiles suggested. “I won’t mess it up.”

Derek smiled at him. “Your mom and dad wouldn’t mind?”

“No, they won’t. Scott and I are always doing stuff like that.” Stiles assured the other boy.

“Cool.” Derek grinned. “Maybe tomorrow? Or later this week?”

“Hey, whatever works for you.” Stiles grinned back.


	2. The Return Trip, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things don't go as planned.

It took a moment for Scott to remember where he was when he woke up the next morning. His room was the same, but smaller, somehow - and then he recalled that it was because his everything was smaller. It was still going to take him awhile to get used to the fact that he was in the past, but it wasn’t like he minded - if it meant that he got the chance to right a million wrongs that had occurred, he’d have done it again in a heartbeat. As it was, the fact that his mother was already moving forward in her search for a divorce lawyer and a custody lawyer was already more than he’d anticipated at this point - not that he wasn’t glad for it.

Stiles knocked on Scott’s bedroom door, then let himself in. “Okay.” He murmured. “I want to show you something.” He grabbed a box out of the backpack that he had carried in with him, opening it and setting it on Scott’s desk. He glanced up at his best friend, then spread seeds on the dinosaur chia pet he had picked up the night before, and already soaked in water overnight. He moved to sit down beside Scott. “I probably could have done this easier somewhere else, but I thought I’d just bring the whole thing to you. The last time I dragged you off to the woods, it didn’t go so well.” He smiled. “Wanna see?” 

Scott sat up and smiled, nodding. “Yeah,” he murmured, shifting his feet so that Stiles could sit more comfortably.

Stiles turned toward the desk and closed his eyes, concentrating. On the desk, the seeds sprouted and grew quickly. 

Scott’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened in surprise. He nearly flew forward as he tried to move closer, gaping at the chia pet. “Whoa!” He looked up at Stiles. “That’s insane! That is so freaking cool!”

Stiles smiled. “Yeah. I made some trees grow, yesterday. It was out in the woods, not too far from Derek’s. I’m letting him use my house to build a fort out of Legos, by the way. I told him he can come over whenever he wants. Uh, and I talked to Peter.” 

Scott sat back, watching Stiles curiously. “What did he say? Also, question about the Lego fort -” He pointed at Stiles, raising an eyebrow. “Can we use it when he isn’t there?”

“Yeah, but we can’t break it. That’s why I said he could do it, because Cora thinks she’s Godzilla.” Stiles laughed. “Peter said that he’s sorry for what he did, that he can’t even imagine being like that. He’s in college, but he hasn’t declared a major. And he agreed to go for a walk by Isaac’s house, just to make sure Isaac wasn’t getting beat up. I know it’ll happen eventually. I want to stop it as soon as possible, but we can’t do anything until his dad does. That sucks, I know.” Stiles sighed. 

Scott grimaced, but nodded. “I don’t remember when it started - but if Isaac’s brother hasn’t gone into the Army yet, then Isaac’s probably safe for now. Or… safe-ish. Camden will keep his dad off his back.” He played with the edge of his sheets for a little bit, thinking. “I didn’t know Peter went to college, but I guess it makes sense. He always had that thing where he looked annoyed at having to dumb down conversation with people around him. I don’t really know what to do with his apology, though… I mean, this is a different him. He didn’t do any of the stuff that our Peter did.” He snorted and looked up at Stiles. “What do you think of superglue-ing the Legos together as Derek builds the fort, so that even Godzilla Cora couldn’t knock it down?”

“Yes!” Stiles grinned. “This Peter is our Peter, now. There were a few times that I liked talking to him, even though I didn’t trust him a whole lot.” He admitted. “Like one time, he made this joke about living in a cave and he was so... he looked serious. And when I asked him about it, he laughed at me and said he had an apartment. I think about that, and how he gave me a choice about the bite, and I think if he hadn’t been so desperate to kill you, he would have been a great person to have around.” 

Scott flinched, making a face. “Also, if he hadn’t been insane?” He studied Stiles, taking a deep breath. “He doesn’t know that his old self killed Laura, does he? This Peter would probably be devastated if he knew. Or try to open a time vortex to kill the other Peter in revenge.”

“Nah, I just said that there was a body in the woods and that he bit you. I would’ve told him if he asked, but I think he was just too horrified at the idea that he went around murdering everybody.” Stiles mused. 

“Makes sense.” Scott nodded, and then fell silent, thinking as he stared at the chia pet. He was reaching a hand out to touch the plants when he spoke again. “When do you think would be the right time to ask Talia to give me the bite?” He asked. “I mean… Mom knows now. And I think she’s kind of put two and two together, with your mom. I mean, with her being sick, and then getting the bite, and suddenly not being sick anymore. I figure it’s only a matter of time before she brings it up to me, too.”

“I think you should wait at least a few more days.” Stiles said carefully. “But not because I don’t want this for you. I do. It’s just that it feels too fast, maybe? We need to spend time with Laura and get to know her, and also Isaac and Erica and Boyd. And Matt’s whole reason for killing everyone but my dad at the station was basically that someone smudged his Puma, so we need to take care of that, too. Maybe we should just molotov the house when we know Isaac isn’t in it.” He hesitated. “I’m not even sure I’m kidding.” 

Scott rubbed his chin, sighing. “Maybe Matt won’t be a psychopath this time around? His whole thing happened because he was at Isaac’s house and Isaac’s brother was drunk, and Isaac’s dad was a threatening douchebag. If Peter catches Mr. Lahey doing one wrong thing toward Isaac, that means Mr. Lahey will get turned in to the Sheriff’s station, so he loses his job as the swim coach, so Camden and his friends don’t get drunk at Isaac’s house and Camden doesn’t throw Matt in the pool.” He looked up at Stiles. “No trauma for Matt, so… no reason to go on a killing rampage.” He suddenly looked hesitant and a little confused. “Right?”

“Well, no? I mean, if Mr. Lahey isn’t hurting Isaac yet, because Camden is around, then Peter can’t have him arrested for something he didn’t do. What we need to do is have you be friends with Isaac, to keep Matt away from him. At least, as much as we can. The whole thing was that they were reading or trading comics, right? That’s what he was blathering on about, anyway. So if that’s true...” Stiles tilted his head. “Maybe we need to try being friends with Jackson and Isaac.” 

“Jackson’s gonna turn six in June,” Scott murmured, nodding. “That’s when he found out about being adopted. Maybe if we’re there, it won’t be so bad for him? And… yeah. I’d rather Isaac be friends with us starting now than possibly getting subjected to Matt. Maybe he was different before, I don’t know, but I don’t wanna chance it. I still remember how creepy and stalker-y he was about Allison.”

“You know...” Stiles looked over at Scott. “I think it’s probably obvious, right? Malia’s our age, Jackson’s our age. Malia’s adopted, Jackson’s adopted. Malia’s eyes are blue, Jackson’s eyes are blue. So are Peter’s.” 

Scott blinked in understanding immediately. “Oh my god.” He muttered. “And Jackson does look like Peter, too.” He hesitated. “So that’s two of the triplets. I wonder who the third is.”

“I guess we’ll have to let them figure it out.” Stiles shrugged. “But I think I might go tell Peter today. You can come with me and talk to Talia, if you want. I know what I said, I’m just... I’m already sick of just sitting here, you know?” 

“I know.” Scott murmured. “I’ll come with, and I’ll talk to Talia. But I’ll tell her that she doesn’t need to make a decision about it yet because I wanna make sure that my mom is absolutely okay with doing this.”

“Why don’t you just ask your mom before we go?” Stiles suggested. “My mom’s probably already over there, taking werewolf class or whatever.” 

“Heh. ‘Intro to Wolfing Out One-oh-One.’” Scott quipped. He tilted his head. “Yeah… I might as well talk to Mom.” He agreed. 

“Do you want me to wait outside or something?” Stiles eyed the plant, but decided to leave it on Scott’s desk. 

“Oh, god no,” Scott laughed. “You’re staying with me.”

“Okay.” Stiles smiled and got up from the bed. 

Scott rolled off of his bed as well, walking over to his dresser to pull on his clothes. When he was finished, he turned to Stiles and waved a hand at him before grabbing it and tugging him out of the room. “Come on.” He murmured. 

Stiles laughed and followed Scott down the stairs. 

“What do you guys want for breakfast?” Melissa asked. “Doughnuts?” 

“And apple juice,” Scott added, nodding. “Or milk. Either or. Hey, Mom - so… I was thinking. Maybe I need to ask Talia for the bite.” The words spilled out quickly. 

“Oh, thank god!” Melissa blurted. “I was trying to figure out how to ask you if you wanted it.” 

Scott laughed, squeezing Stiles’ hand. “I had it before. I got it by accident then. I didn’t want it at first, but… I mean, it healed my asthma. And I have all my memories, so that means I have all of my control, too. It’d be easier for me this time around, especially because I actually want it back.”

“Sweetheart, I was there when you said half of that.” Melissa gently reminded her son. “After breakfast, I’ll drive you both over.” 

“Right.” Scott flushed. “Maybe getting the bite now will make my memories sort themselves out so I can remember what I’ve talked about.”

“Or maybe being six is having a bigger effect on you than we thought.” Stiles mused. “I’ve noticed it, too. About me, I mean.” 

“Really?” Scott furrowed his brows together. “Are you having trouble remembering stuff, too? Or at least separating what happened then with what’s happening now?”

“No, not like that.” Stiles shook his head. “I keep doing the same sort of stuff I would’ve done if I was six. Like I keep wanting grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” 

Scott’s lips twitched. “Okay. But you still wanted those when we were nineteen.” He pointed out. “What’s the difference here?”

“It’s just different.” Stiles insisted. “Like when we really were kids and got injured, we’d cry. Now, the same injuries barely make us blink. You know? Like that.” 

Scott furrowed his brows together. “You know, you’re right. I accidentally touched the stove the other day and burned my fingers.” He held his hand up. “Mom freaked, but I just went and grabbed an ice pack and some gauze.”

“I’m a little scared that we’ll forget.” Stiles sat down at the table as Melissa set plates down, along with a box of doughnuts. “That we’ll wake up one of these days and we’ll be six or eight. Or fifteen.” 

Scott grimaced faintly, fiddling with the edge of the plate. “Now that you’ve said it, I’m scared, too.” He murmured. 

“If that sort of thing happens, we’ll tell you.” Melissa assured the boys. “We’ll show you those timelines you made and we’ll take over, where we need to. But I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. Eat.” 

Scott nodded and smiled faintly at his mother, then reached for a doughnut and took a bite. “Thanks, Mom.” He murmured.

Melissa smiled at her son and sat down at the table, picking up her own doughnut and promising herself that she would work out for an hour a day to make up for eating it. “You know a lot about werewolves, don’t you?” She asked, suddenly curious. “What is their metabolism like? I swear nobody in that family has an ounce of fat.” 

“Their core body temperature runs hotter than a human’s.” Scott told her. “Like, humans’ ideal temperature is ninety-eight-point-six degrees. Werewolves run somewhere around one-ten to one-fifteen. I don’t know if that actually has anything to do with it, but if Talia and Peter are anything to go by, their metabolism is through the roof. Derek - when we first met him, he was really thin and pale, but he was still muscular? A few months later, he started putting on more weight and working out more, and he didn’t look quite as pale, but he did look like his muscles had grown muscles. The last time we saw him, he was still built, but…” He glanced at Stiles. “Softer, somehow? Like he found a balance. I don’t think werewolves can get fat like normal people can. Pretty sure whatever it is in their system that keeps them from getting diseases also takes offense to them looking anything but perfect.”

“Maybe I should become a werewolf.” Melissa smiled. 

Stiles glanced up at Melissa. He suddenly felt alone, wondering if his dad would do the same thing.

Scott smiled gently at his mother. “It comes with risks.” He told her softly. “There are positives, but there are negatives, too. The full moon, when you don’t have control yet…” He hesitated, and then glanced at Stiles before he looked back at Melissa. “I almost ate Stiles. I’m not proud of it. And I was kind of a jerk pretty much the whole time.” He fell silent for a moment, and then added, “Besides. You’d be trading in one sort of danger for another.” He thought of Peter after the fire, of the bullet that Kate Argent had shot Derek with, of the constant stream of hunters and alphas and demons and hitmen that had continuously come after him and his friends, and he shuddered. 

“Not really making a case for getting the bite for yourself, Scott.” Melissa muttered. “But I’ll at least agree to wait until you’re a little older. Chronologically.”

Stiles finished his breakfast and got up from the table, wiping his mouth with a napkin. 

Scott grimaced, but wiped his own mouth with a napkin, and then took a long drink of his milk. He excused himself and got up from the table, then let out a sigh when he stared at the sink and realized he was too short to reach it. “Crap.” He muttered. Shaking his head, he set the cup on the counter and then walked back out to stand next to Stiles, looking over at him. “You alright?” He asked quietly.

“If all the adults become werewolves, I really will be the only human left.” Stiles mumbled. 

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Scott told him, pressing his side gently against Stiles’. “I don’t…” He sighed. “I don’t want my mom to get the bite.” He admitted quietly. “I can’t stop her if she decides to do it, but I don’t want her to. But I don’t think your dad would do it. And if Lydia was immune to the bite, that might mean her mom is, too. If we find Ally and her dad before the rest of her family can get their hooks in her, then maybe we can get her to join us here.” He looked up at his friend. “The only reason I’m getting the bite again is because of my asthma. Because I know that this time around, I can handle it. If it weren’t for either of those things, I wouldn’t be doing it at all. And… besides, you’re technically not human. Not if you’re a kitsune.”

Stiles blinked. “Oh. Right. I really need to talk to Deaton tomorrow. Maybe you can come with me, into the woods. After you get the bite today.” 

Scott smiled softly at him. “I’d like that.” He murmured. “I can’t wait. I wanna see your tree.”

***

Talia had a fondness for the ritual involved in taking on a new pack member. The tea ceremony or dinner, depending on what the prospective member wanted. The bite wasn’t administered until intent and understanding had been established on both sides, and if it was necessary, another pack member would sponsor the incoming member. Because of the circumstances involving Scott’s trip backward in time, Talia had skipped most of the ceremonial routine in favor of just biting him when he was ready.

Stiles waited while the alpha bandaged Scott’s bite wound, then reached for his hand. “Come on.”

Scott reached up and grabbed Stiles’ hand, wincing a little as he got to his feet. He smiled at Talia and ducked his head. “Thank you,” he murmured, then squeezed Stiles’ hand, looking back at his best friend. “Lead the way.”

“You’re welcome.” Talia smiled, pleased. 

Stiles walked outside and through the woods, listening for the sound of water from the pond. He stopped near the trees that were gnarled and twisted together. “Here.” He waved a hand. 

Scott’s head slowly tilted up and up and up as he stared at the tree, and he breathed out slowly. “Wow.” He whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

Stiles grinned. “It grew while I was gone, too. Like, exponentially. I can probably do more. Maybe even make hunters get lost out here. I almost want to try it with you, when you can track by scent. Just to see if it’ll work.”

“I’d be cool with that. Testing it out, I mean.” Scott was still staring at the tree. “You mean it was shorter than this the last time you saw it, and it just kept going after you left?” He tilted his head. “You know, if you can make vines and stuff shoot out of the ground to trap enemies of ours, I’m going to start calling you Poison Ivy.”

Stiles laughed. “Not me. That’s Lydia, with her wolfsbane defense strategy.”

Scott grinned back at him. “We need to bring her out here.” He murmured, staring back up at the tree. “I think she’d love this.”

“I’d call her, but I’m pretty sure she’s taking banshee lessons. Tomorrow, maybe. You could bring her here while I talk to Deaton? Tuesday and Thursday are tae kwon do lessons, so maybe Wednesday, otherwise?”

Scott nodded. “That’ll work.” He murmured. “I was just thinking about that - her, I mean, her lessons and stuff.”

“Do you like her?” Stiles asked quietly. “It’s okay, if you do. I figure we’re at least ten years off from dating anyone, and I feel affection for her, but it’s different now.”

Scott furrowed his brows together. “I don’t know. I don’t not like her.” He admitted. “But honestly? I'm not, like, holding my breath for it to happen, or otherwise.”

“Fair enough.” Stiles smiled. “Everything will be different now.”

Scott grinned widely and nodded. “Yeah, it really will be.” He agreed, slinging his arm around Stiles’ shoulders. His eyes drifted right back to the tree. “I can’t believe you made that. It’s amazing.”

“One day, I’ll grow a whole forest.” Stiles murmured. 

“And I’ll be right there to run through it.” Scott told him. “The whole pack will be.”

“I want to figure out what else I can do.” Stiles murmured. “If I’m this forest kitsune thing, then... what else does that mean? Just growing trees? Or is there something more? Like, can I call animals to me, maybe?” 

Scott looked back at him thoughtfully. “Maybe? I mean, your power lies in the earth, obviously, or you wouldn’t have been able to grow the tree. The animals are part of the earth.”

“Yeah, but an earth kitsune is a separate thing.” Stiles shrugged. “So maybe I should be looking for other kitsunes. Like Kira. Like a team or something.” 

“Your own pack.” Scott uttered softly, looking troubled. “Or… Whatever a bunch of foxes are called when they’re in a group.”

“A skulk.” Stiles said automatically. “But no, not really?” He licked his lips, speaking quickly because he hated the look on Scott’s face. “Any problems that you and I had, before? They’re gone now. The Dread Doctors might still come, but we know who the Beast is and we know how to stop him. Theo won’t be helping them because we’re not letting him get talked into killing his sister. Theo can’t drive a wedge between us for his own gain. You...” He sighed. “I won’t become the thing you fear and you won’t push me away. Right? All I really want is to gather more people who can help us. Maybe people who can teach me to be stronger. I think Noshiko would know more about being a kitsune than Deaton would. And if we get her and Kira here sooner, Kira can be trained better instead of being kind of a trainwreck, you know?” 

Scott smiled hesitantly and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I know.” He murmured, and then sighed. “I just… part of me is scared as hell that no matter what we do, it won’t be enough, you know? That some things are just… meant to happen the way they happened before. I don’t want that. I want to fix everything, and I know that’s not feasible, but I really want it to be.”

“Well...” Stiles thought for a minute. “A Faraday Cage would stop the Dread Doctors. And Allison can stop the Beast, just by existing. Jennifer Blake will probably have to be murdered, though. I’m sorry, I can’t think of a way around that. Gerard and Kate won’t be a problem because we’re doing everything we can to stop them before they can get anywhere near the Hales. Jackson won’t be a kanima, Matt sure as hell won’t control him. Monroe needs the hell smacked out of her. I think maybe Deucalion and his pack can do that. Or I could?”

“Maybe both of you. Duke died because of her and her fanatics. I mean, I know he’s not a great guy right now, but he was - will be. Whatever.” Scott folded his arms and scowled. “You know what I mean. And I know you can be creative with punishments.”

“And keep you from getting your hands dirty. Just don’t shut me out, after.” Stiles murmured. 

“ I regretted that as soon as it happened.“ Scott said softly. “I felt miserable doing that to you. I’m never going to do it again. I know what you’re capable of, and I know that you do it, whatever you can do, for your sake, my sake, Lydia’s sake, for the good of the pack, for the good of our families. You do what I’m not brave enough or capable enough to do. I won’t shut you out. Ever again.“

Stiles hugged Scott. “You know, I never understood why Deaton referred to that one tree as the nemeton. It’s a group of trees. Usually. Maybe we need our own. Something not tainted by the nogitsune and all of the other stuff.”

Scott hugged Stiles back tightly. “Maybe we can create one? Can we do that? And how?”

“Well, we could have it here.” Stiles shook his head. “But I think somewhere else, somewhere important to us, should be where ours is. Not just us, either. Lydia, too. Where would that be?”

Scott looked uncertain. “Um… I’m not sure. Maybe the woods right behind the high school? A lot of significant crap happened to us out there.”

“Yeah, but that’s not safe, that’s the opposite.” Stiles snorted. 

Scott grinned faintly. “True. I don’t know. I can’t think of a single safe spot in Beacon Hills. Our butts got handed to us in almost every single spot here.”

“Yeah. Why are we here, again?” Stiles laughed. He paused. “I was going to make a joke about moving, but D.C. was only tolerable when I found woods. I should have known. I guess I’ll have to find a college near a forest.”

Scott cocked his head to the side. “Well… there’s Humboldt. It’s not far away from here, and it’s sitting on the edge of the forest.” He smiled crookedly. “I applied there, when I applied at UC Davis, just in case they rejected me? I mean, I didn’t know what I was going to do there if they did, but I guess I kind of figured that I’d just take the minimum, general classes until I could reapply at Davis, but that didn’t matter in the end.”

“Zoology and wildlife.” Stiles mused. “I looked into it, too. I was cross-referencing every single college that Lydia had a shot at with the ones we had as options, and I figured that Kira would sort her shit out as needed, because she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, anyway. It... it didn’t feel the same, without Allison. But it felt wrong no matter what, you know? I was going to teach Erica how to drive. Or at least help teach her. I mean, I can now, I’m just saying that it doesn’t negate that I felt like crap that so many of them were gone. This time, nobody’s dying. Nobody. And we’re all going to college together. Or at least in the same sixty mile radius.” 

Scott smiled widely at him and nodded. “Yeah. Yes. Same with me. We’re going to save everyone.”

“What else do you want to do, before we go back in?” Stiles grinned. 

Scott chewed on his lower lip, and then grinned. “Know what I really want to do?” He glanced at Stiles. “Play lacrosse. I want to play lacrosse so bad.”

“Okay, except that we’re tiny right now and the other werewolves have years of wolf experience, so unless you meant you know of a way for us to jump ahead about ten years? That’s probably not happening. At least, not with me. But you can.” Stiles nodded. 

Scott smiled faintly. “That’s not what I meant. Actually, what I meant was, can we go harass your dad into taking us to the toy store and finding toy lacrosse sticks so that we can quote-unquote learn to play?”

“Yeah.” Stiles laughed. “Let’s go do that, then.” 

“Sweet.” Scott threw an arm around Stiles’ shoulders and leaned against his best friend before he turned them both around and started back the way they’d come.

Stiles grinned as he let Scott lead him back into the house, but his smile faded at the expression on a few adult faces. “What did we miss?” 

“My training isn’t going how I expected.” Claudia murmured. 

“I know of someone.” Satomi spoke. “You would need to travel to a town in Minnesota. Are you willing to do that?” 

“Yes.” Claudia said instantly. 

“I can’t leave and neither can Dad!” Stiles blurted. “Mom, you can’t go.” 

Scott stared at Claudia, looking bewildered and hurt. “You’re going to leave? You’re okay with leaving?” His stomach twisted as he recalled the way his father had originally left, back when Scott had been much older and much more understanding of what had been done to him. He’d heard the same words, then, but the hurt he felt then was nothing compared to how he felt now.

Stiles looked at his dad, shaking his head. “Tell her that she can’t go.” 

John was silent, staring at Claudia in shock. “I wish you wouldn’t.” He told her. “I don’t want you to go. None of us do.”

“Well, I am.” Claudia murmured. “So that’s that.” 

“That’s that?” John repeated. “We have a son. We’ve been married for eight years. We’ve been together for eleven. And… ‘that’s that’? That’s all you can say?”

“If I don’t learn control, I could hurt you both.” Claudia insisted. “So yes.” 

“Talia wouldn’t let you hurt either of us!” John protested. “Neither would Satomi! And you have control, you’re just... still learning to exercise it!” He paused, and then rounded on Satomi. “Why are you suggesting this? Why would sending her halfway across the country possibly be good for any of us?”

“I am not required to answer to you.” Satomi shook her head. “What any person does with their own life decisions is for them, alone.” She stepped to her left suddenly, catching the glass that Stiles threw at her. “Talia, I think it’s time I took my leave.” 

Scott stared at her, looking furious. “You were supposed to help her, not send her away.” He muttered. “I think it’s time you ‘took your leave’, too.”

John slumped down onto the couch, putting his head in his hands.

Satomi smiled at Scott. “The problem that all of you seem to be facing is that the help you wanted for Claudia would have been no help at all, and you’re more content to be selfish and ignore her needs for your own.” She walked outside. 

Claudia followed behind her, shutting the door quietly. 

“I hate her.” Stiles muttered. 

“She did what your mother asked her to do.” Talia chastised Stiles. “When you have the opportunity, you should apologize to Satomi. That behavior was uncalled for.” 

“She’s his mom!” Scott protested, staring at Talia unhappily. “Satomi is lucky that Stiles’ behavior wasn’t more physical. She’s actively advocating sending his mom away. You can’t let her do it, you can’t -” He swallowed roughly, his emotions in his much smaller body suddenly rougher to manage than they had been when he was older, and he burst into tears. 

“They’re being assholes.” Stiles muttered, putting his arm around Scott. “Let’s go. They need us way more than we need them.” He glared at Talia and guided Scott toward the door. 

Scott scrubbed furiously at his face, hiccupping. “We were supposed to change things.” He whined. “We were supposed to fix our families, keep them together if we could. We - we kept your mom from dying, and now she’s…” He whimpered, crying softly. “And now I can’t stop crying. I hate this. I hate being small.”

“I know. I do, too.” Stiles murmured. “But look, at least my mom is still alive, right? I guess we can’t really blame Satomi, my mom didn’t have to take that option. She didn’t. Talia needs to shut the hell up, though.” 

“This isn’t fair.” Scott muttered, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Stiles. I’m sorry we couldn’t… You’re right, she’s still alive. That’s what matters.”

“Wanna steal a car?” Stiles grinned. “If you work the pedals, I can steer.” 

A tiny smile twitched onto Scott’s face. He sniffled, rubbing his hands over his eyes again. “Maybe some other time.” He leaned into Stiles’ side, snuggling against him.

Stiles hugged Scott in return, sighing. “It’s a blip on the radar, okay? It’s nothing. We’re going to fix it all.” 

Scott nodded. “We should make peace with Talia, though.” He said softly. “She’s my alpha now. It’s not going to do us any favors to constantly be butting heads with her… which is something I feel would probably happen a lot now that she’s in our lives.”

“The thing is, I don’t care.” Stiles muttered. “I just don’t. We know the risks, we know what’s coming, she doesn’t. If she wants our help, she’s the one who needs to learn to watch her mouth. Not me and definitely not you.” He eyed the front door, certain that Talia was listening on the other side of it, even if she hadn’t left the living room. “I’m going home.” 

“What about your dad?” Scott asked softly.

“I figure he’ll catch up. He doesn’t have a reason to be there right now, anyway.” Stiles shrugged. 

Scott nodded slowly. “Yeah.” He murmured, and then sighed again, clinging to Stiles tightly. “Let’s go. Maybe we can come back later or something and chill with Derek. Or invite him over and chill with him at home.”

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed. He started walking down the road, glancing at Scott every few feet. “You’ll tell me if you hear a car, right?” 

Scott nodded. “Of course I will.” He assured Stiles, following him and folding his arms across his chest.

***

At school the next day, Stiles sat on the merry-go-round and waited for Scott and Lydia to join him. He laid down, one arm under his head as he looked up at the sky. 

Scott waited at the door for Lydia, holding it open for her. “So his mom’s leaving.” He said softly. “For training. Or control. Whatever. It honestly feels like a kick in the stomach, she was like my aunt.” He exhaled. “I’m happy that she’s alive, that the bite took. But I feel… betrayed.”

“Well, we did come back with the hope of everything being different.” Lydia remarked. “I know it’s not what he wanted, but this is just a misstep. It’s not the end of the universe. We’ll just have to - recalibrate and keep going.” 

“Yeah. I guess so.” Scott sighed. “I was kinda hoping that the universe would take ‘different’ to mean ‘good.’ But whatever.” He looked toward Stiles, and then reached for Lydia’s hand. “Come on.”

Lydia walked across the playground with her friend, ignoring the actual kids making kissing noises at her and Scott. “I can’t believe we were ever that immature.” She scoffed, smiling faintly as she sat down by Stiles and looked down at him. “Hi.” 

“Hey.” Stiles muttered. “I’ve made a decision. Nothing we do matters and I give up.” 

Scott sat down on Stiles’ other side, staring at his hands. “Did something else happen?” He asked unhappily.

“My mom left last night.” Stiles sniffled. “I was so freaking excited that she was home and healthy. And now she’s gone. So - so I don’t care. I’m too young to get drunk and don’t have the resources to get high, and I need... I don’t know, something.” 

Scott leaned against Stiles’ side. “Sugar high?” He asked. “Ice cream and cookies aren’t as good as alcohol or… well, weed, but… it’ll make you feel a little better. At least for a little while.”

“I think we should go to the bakery on our way back to your house.” Lydia told Stiles. “We can get a dozen really big cupcakes and some fudge brownies.” 

“Thanks.” Stiles smiled shakily. “How was your weekend, Lydia?” 

“Lorraine taught me how to listen for something coming, instead of just waiting until it’s right there.” Lydia murmured. “So I know that a few people are going to die, this week. But they’re all old and it’s their time, I guess.” She shrugged one shoulder. 

“Oh, crap. I have to talk to Deaton today.” Stiles looked up at Scott. “Maybe I should just ditch and go talk to him now, and then go home?” 

“No.” Lydia protested, shaking her head. “Stay here and get your work done. We need to prove that we’re too smart for first grade, so that next year, they’ll just put us into second or third. We’ve only got a few weeks left to make that happen.” 

Scott squeezed Stiles’ shoulder, nodding. “She’s right. Whatever we do from here on out, it’ll be easier for us if we can jump ahead a grade.”

“Okay. So school, then Deaton’s, then the bakery and my house.” Stiles murmured. “Can you both stay over, maybe? I mean, I know you can.” He gestured to Scott. “But can you?” 

Lydia smiled gently. “I’ll make sure I’m allowed to.” 

Scott hugged Stiles, smiling gently. “We’ll be there, man.”

“I also told Derek that we’d come over sometime this week, but I don’t want to be around Talia. It’s not her fault, it’s just... that’s where my mom decided that she was leaving and Talia told me to stop being rude and she can just go suck a dick, that’s all.” Stiles rolled his eyes when a passing kid gasped. 

Scott snorted softly. “Well… then, we’ll swing by and get Derek, and then head into the woods. Maybe to your tree.”

“Okay.” Stiles murmured. “Then we should probably stop off at the station to tell my dad what we’re doing? But we need to do that before the bakery.” 

“That’s a lot of walking.” Lydia remarked, laughing. “Maybe your dad can drive us to some of those places and he can have a brownie, too? Because he’s probably having a bad time too, you know?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed. “God, I feel about as small as I look, you know? It just sucks.” 

Scott smiled weakly and nodded. “Yeah, believe me. I get that.”

***

After school, Stiles smiled faintly, feeling relieved that Scott and Lydia were still with him. He had promised himself to look at things in a positive light instead of a negative one, and he was going to miss his mom - but he had spent years missing her and she wasn’t dead, so she could still come back. He only had to wait. He crossed the street with the crowd of kids walking away from the building, taking a right instead of going straight, to get to the police station. 

Lydia grabbed Stiles’ hand and smiled to encourage him. “We’re going to survive this. All of us. Remember?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. 

Scott followed both of them silently, his hands in his pockets. “We should probably start, um… expediting certain things, then. We should get Allison to move here earlier. A lot earlier.” He looked at the other two hopefully.

“Of course.” Lydia smiled. “And we need to befriend Isaac, Boyd and Erica. And Jackson and Danny. I think he should be told, this time around. I don’t know if we can do anything for Aiden and Ethan. Should we try?” 

“Theo.” Stiles murmured. “And Malia. Kira, probably. And look out for Liam, Hayden and Mason. Tracy. Probably Josh and, uh, the other one.” 

“Corey.” Lydia rolled her eyes fondly at Stiles. “You know, I used to call you ‘the other one.’” 

“What did you used to call me?” Scott asked, blinking at her.

“The one with the bad haircut.” Lydia grinned, laughing. “Which is why Stiles was ‘the other one.’” 

“I should shave your head.” Stiles said calmly, eyeing Lydia. 

Scott looked over at Stiles and shrugged. “I mean, she’s not wrong, I did have a really bad haircut.” He poked at his best friend, grinning. “You’re the one that used to tease me for being a puppy and taking the look too far.” 

“Yeah, but my head was shaved in the first place because my mom had to have hers done, because of the electrode things.” Stiles reminded Scott. “So I did the same thing out of solidarity and then I just kept it that way. I won’t do it now, though.” 

Scott made a small noise in the back of his throat, and his smile fell from his face before he nose-dived into Stiles’ shoulder, burying his face against the other boy’s skin with a whimper. 

“Did you have to do that?” Lydia sighed. She opened the door of the station, even though it took her a few tries because the door was heavy. 

Stiles guided Scott into the building with him. “Thanks.” He told Lydia. “Dad?!” 

John came out of his office, his pinched expression relaxing when he spotted the three kids. He walked over to them and knelt down, running his hand gently over Stiles’ hair. “Hey, kiddo. How’re you feeling?”

“I’m okay.” Stiles took advantage of his height and visual age, hugging his dad like he really was only six. “The three of us are going to the bakery, and to Deaton’s, and then to Derek’s. It’s okay if they both stay over, right? And maybe Derek, too?” 

John hugged Stiles back and nodded. “You got it. Absolutely.” He agreed, nodding. “What do you want for dinner? I’ll be getting off work a little bit late, but I should be there around six tonight to pick you up, if you think you can wait with Talia or Peter until then?”

Stiles wanted to protest, but then he realized that he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to keep certain things a secret. “Yeah, we can do that.” He was surprised to realize that he trusted Peter more than he trusted Talia. 

“Okay.” John smiled faintly, and then sighed, squeezing Stiles’ shoulder. “I know it’s gonna be rough. Not just… with your mom gone, but with how old you are and…” he lowered his voice. “How old you actually are.”

“Yeah.” Stiles admitted, smiling sheepishly. “But it’s fine, she’s alive, we’ll have her back eventually, yeah? I just want to overload on sugar and try to move on.” 

John nodded and smiled at him. “Agreed.” He murmured. “See if you can pick up those dark chocolate eclairs, yeah? And I’ll swing by the store after I pick you four up and grab some ice cream.”

“Okay.” Stiles smiled. “I guess I can see if Peter can pick us up from Deaton’s.” 

Lydia blinked, staring at Stiles. “Peter Hale.” She repeated. 

“Yes, that’s the only Peter we know, right?” Stiles shrugged. 

Lydia frowned at Stiles, shaking her head. She knew that things were different now, but she wasn’t so sure she could trust Peter. That any of them could. 

Stiles nodded. “Yes.” He held her gaze, his expression not changing. 

Lydia turned toward Scott. “You’re the one that should be in charge here. What do you want to do?” 

Scott fidgeted. “Between the two choices we have, I’d go for the evil we know.” He admitted. “I’m not saying that either of them are evil. I just mean… well, we don’t know Talia. And we know Peter. Not this Peter, but we…” He sighed, looking frustrated. “We have an idea of what Peter can be like. Before we came back, we knew just about nothing about Talia.”

Stiles pointed at Scott, still looking at Lydia. “Can we just go now? We have a lot of stuff to do.” 

Lydia huffed in irritation and looked at John. “Your son is impossible.”

John’s lips twitched. “Well, we call it headstrong and take it as a compliment.”

Stiles grinned. He walked back outside and down the sidewalk, toward the bakery. The town being as small as it was, and everyone knowing who he was, meant that Stiles could do things like go buy himself a tray of cupcakes even though he appeared to be only six. 

Scott couldn’t help grinning, but he ducked his head and turned it away so that it couldn’t be seen. He followed quickly after Stiles, pausing for Lydia to catch up. 

Lydia pressed her lips together to hide her own smile as she walked into the bakery, behind Stiles. “Don’t forget the eclairs for your dad.” 

“I know, he just said it like, five minutes ago.” Stiles rolled his eyes. 

“I’ve got a little bit of money on me.” Scott murmured. “I hope they made some of those cinnamon buns that are, like, the size of my head.” He looked at Stiles. “I figure with the eclairs and the cupcakes and the eventual ice cream, and that cinnamon bun, I’ll be high on sugar until next Sunday.”

“Not if that wolfy metabolism has already kicked in.” Stiles smiled. 

“I’ve got ten dollars and I’m buying the brownies.” Lydia remarked. “So let’s just get this stuff and go to Deaton’s. It’s going to be a lot to carry.” 

“Right.” Stiles grabbed a basket near the door. “I’ll bring it back!” He called over his shoulder. 

“Okay!” The clerk replied, used to Stiles’ antics. 

Scott hurried after Stiles, grinning in delight. He went directly for the counter with the fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, jumping up and down until he could see over the counter. “One please?” He requested from the baker politely, tilting his head back as far as possible to look up at the man. Beaming at him as he was handed the large box for the roll, Scott piped out a “Thank you!” and ran to meet up with Stiles and Lydia.

Stiles carefully loaded the basket with everything they were buying, then lifted one of the handles. He gestured for Scott to take the other one. “Lydia, get the door, please.” 

Lydia nodded and held the door open for her friends. 

Scott grabbed the handle, and then backed his way out toward the door, frowning a little. “I figured I’d be able to haul this thing by myself at this point. I guess full werewolf strength doesn’t kick in until I’m older.”

“Or it just hasn’t hit you yet?” Stiles guessed. “Maybe I need to help train you again.” He laughed, but his mood soured. “I probably could’ve helped my mom, if she hadn’t run off like an idiot.” 

“Enough of that, Stiles.” Lydia frowned. “Scott, we can both help train you.” 

Scott nodded. “Okay.” He murmured. He wanted to hug Stiles, but the basket between them sort of prevented that.

After what felt like an hour to Stiles’ untrained muscles, they got to Deaton’s clinic. Without asking, Stiles went behind the counter and called Peter. He wondered why Deaton didn’t have someone working at the front desk for him. In all the time he had spent at the clinic, he had never seen anyone else there. 

“Hello?” Peter answered, sounding bewildered.

“Hey, this is Stiles.” Stiles explained. “I know this is unorthodox, but can you come get us from Deaton’s clinic, downtown? We have a bunch of desserts. I need to talk to Deaton, but I figure it won’t take too long and then you can drive us back to the house?” 

“Oh, of course.” Peter laughed faintly. “Yeah, I’ll be there in, what, fifteen minutes? Twenty?”

“Either way.” Stiles murmured. “Do you like cupcakes?” 

“Who doesn’t?” Peter replied. “Alright. I’ll be around to pick you up soon, then.”

Stiles smiled as he hung up. “He’ll be here.” He told Scott and Lydia. “I’ll go talk to Deaton. You can have the cinnamon thingies or brownies while I’m doing that, but don’t eat all of them.” 

“Do we look like we could eat all of them?” Lydia scoffed. “Go do what you have to do.” She watched him leave, then turned toward Scott. “I’m worried about how easily he’s taken to Peter.” 

“Why?” Scott asked, looking confused. “This Peter isn’t insane. He’s actually… kinda nice.”

“That’s what bothers me. You’re both forgetting how dangerous he can become.” Lydia shook her head. “He’s not nice, he just hasn’t had a reason to come after us yet.” 

“I’m not forgetting.” Scott muttered. “Not really. How many times did he come after me? How many times did he try to kill me or get me to join him?” He turned to look at Lydia. “Maybe it’s a really skewed way of thinking, but if he’s going to go nuts, or if he’s hiding insanity at this point, I’d rather he be on our side and pointed in someone else’s direction, anyone else’s direction, anyone who could make things worse for us, or anyone who could come after us. Having him as an ally has to be better than having him as an enemy.” He fidgeted and looked away. “And if he turns out the same, then we’ll do what we need to do. But I think - I’ve always thought - that there’s good in Peter. He can be redeemable. You just have to give him the motivation to be good, and we already did that. It was Malia. Now it’s Malia and her brothers.”

“How did we never notice that he had three kids instead of one?” Lydia mused. She got up and grabbed a brownie from the container in the basket, sitting back down to eat it. “It seems like everything is different for all of us, now. I mean, obviously. But my parents are already talking about getting a divorce because Lorraine isn’t locked away anymore and apparently, that’s causing them to argue.” 

“Are you upset about that?” Scott asked her softly. “Or is it just a relief? Your grandma is around, like she should’ve been to begin with, and your dad won’t be.”

“I’ve adjusted.” Lydia smiled. “He had a part in creating me, but he has no business commenting on my life, since he refuses to even try to relate to me.” 

Scott smiled faintly and nodded. “Yeah, that’s kind of where I am, too.”

“So, we’ll just have to practice patience.” Lydia murmured. “Learn what we can, become as good as we can become, and keep everyone else alive and safe.” 

“Yeah. Here’s hoping I don’t make any mistakes.” Scott said quietly, twisting his fingers together nervously. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that I can even screw having patience up.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lydia protested. “If any of us thought you were doing a bad job, we probably would have challenged you for your position and I don’t think you would have even fought us for it.” 

“I probably wouldn’t have. But you can’t admit that there were times when I screwed up.” Scott pointed out. “It’s - I kept secrets. I made the wrong moves. I didn’t always listen. I screwed up.”

“So you won’t do that, this time.” Lydia smiled. “The three of us will keep each other balanced. Besides, we can’t tell anyone else. We told the Hales because we had to, and same with our own parents. But that’s where it stops. It has to.” 

Scott shifted a little, but nodded. “Okay.” He murmured, but he had his doubts - he definitely wasn’t sure he could keep this sort of secret, once he was surrounded by the people he missed.

“Scott.” Lydia said firmly. “We cannot tell Isaac or Allison. Boyd and Erica, possibly. But that’s a bit of a gamble. Allison had a difficult time learning that her family hunts werewolves, she really wouldn’t do well with knowing that we’re aware of potential problems. And Isaac? We can’t do anything to stop his dad until his dad actually becomes a problem. How would you feel if Stiles or I came to you after your dad’s drunken... idiocy, and told you that we knew it was going to happen, but hadn’t done anything to warn you?” 

Scott grimaced, then sighed. “Yeah, okay. You’ve got a point.” He shook his head. “I’ll do my best not to say a word.”

“I’m excited about this, though. We’ll get to meet Allison sooner and she’ll live here in Beacon Hills, with us.” Lydia smiled. “It’s all going to work out.” 

Scott grinned back at her. “We’ll actually get to watch her go through all of her artistic phases.” He laughed.

Lydia nodded, laughing. “And we’ll be there when she gets asked to be in the Olympics.” 

While Lydia had been speaking, Deaton and Stiles had walked out to the front room. The older man gave Lydia a curious smile. “What are the Olympics?” 

Stiles turned slowly, staring up at Deaton. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He blurted. 

Scott stared at Deaton with wide eyes. “Seriously? You don’t know the Olympics? How do you not know the Olympics? It’s the Olympics.”

“The worldwide sporting event where teams from nearly every country compete with one another for medals?” Lydia explained, eyeing Deaton. “Maybe you call it something different?” 

“No, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of such a thing.” Deaton shook his head. 

“Guys?” Stiles cleared his throat, shivering. “I think something went wrong.” 

Scott rubbed his hands over his eyes. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” He mumbled.

“This isn’t our world at all. So where are we?” Stiles murmured. “This is Beacon Hills, California, yes?” 

“Of course it is.” Deaton smiled. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” 

“Yeah, that seems like something you’d say.” Stiles muttered. 

“So now we have to worry about everything. Great.” Scott sighed, and looked at Lydia. “Ally chose the bow and arrow. It’s her whole thing. It’s what put her on the map to possibly end up in the Olympics in the first place. If the Olympics don’t exist… what does that mean for her?”

“It doesn’t mean she’s not an archer.” Lydia protested. “She just isn’t one for Olympic reasons, but that doesn’t mean it stopped being a sport altogether.” 

“But what if she did?” Scott protested. “What if it was one tiny little thing that made it impossible for her to even want to be an archer? What if it’s one of a thousand things that’ve changed?”

“You need to calm down.” Lydia murmured. “Because there’s no guarantee that everything is different. Just this one thing. Our parents haven’t changed, our lives haven’t changed. What we should be doing is making plans to go see the Argents this summer, somehow.” 

Scott exhaled slowly, unable to keep the worry off of his face. He shook his head. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

Stiles eyed the clock on Deaton’s wall. “Peter should be here soon. Maybe he can tell us if there’s anything else.” 

“How would he go about doing that?” Lydia smiled tensely. “He can’t tell us what’s different if he doesn’t know what’s different. Do you really want to discuss everything about our world and this one? This one is our world, now. Just file it away and move on.” 

Scott sat down on the bench and exhaled, then looked up at Stiles. “Everyone we cared about in our world is gone.” He said softly. “I think… I mean, it would be interesting to see what the differences are, but… they’re alive here. And… I don’t know if the non-existent Olympics have something to do with that, but I think I’m okay with it.”

“You weren’t okay two seconds ago.” Stiles snorted. “Whatever, I just want Peter to get here already. I need to talk to Derek. And I want to go for a walk in the woods again.” 

“I’m making myself be okay with it.” Scott mumbled, turning his head to stare out the window. “There he is.” He added, when he saw a bright blue Subaru pull into the parking lot. 

Peter got out of the car and looked up as he moved toward the building, then pushed the door open and stared inside at the others, raising his eyebrows. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.” Stiles reached for the basket. “Can we stop at the bakery on the way? I need to give this thing back.” He explained. “I hate having to break promises and I said I’d do that.” 

Peter nodded, holding the door open for them. “Yeah, sure. I wouldn’t mind getting some blueberry scones, anyway. As long as you don’t mind waiting for a bit while I get them?”

“I don’t mind at all.” Stiles smiled. “Thanks.” He struggled a little with the basket, but Lydia grabbed one of the handles and helped him carry it to Peter’s car. 

“I could’ve gotten that for you.” Peter pointed out, heading toward his car and opening the back door so that they could put the basket inside. “Go ahead and get inside. Anyone want shotgun?” His lips twitched. “Anyone wanna drive?”

“Would you seriously let me drive?” Stiles asked, already doubting that the answer would be yes. 

“Hah, no. Well, maybe.” Peter made a face. “In a controlled environment where law enforcement could never, ever prove me guilty of anything. Ever.”

“I think we’re better off waiting until my feet can reach the pedals.” Stiles mused. “And I want shotgun.” 

Peter gestured at the seat in amusement. “All yours, just make sure you belt up. Your dad would murder me otherwise.”

Stiles set the basket on the front floorboard, then rested his feet on it as he sat on the seat and fastened his seatbelt. 

Lydia climbed into the back and buckled her own seatbelt, relieved that she didn’t feel like she was in any danger. 

Scott was the last one in the car, as Peter had already dropped down into the driver’s seat. He crawled in beside Lydia and pulled his own seatbelt across his body, his legs kicking a little and well above the floorboards.

“We good?” Peter asked, looking at them in the rearview. He put the car into reverse and backed out of the lot.

Stiles carefully moved all of the bags of desserts out of the basket, setting them on the floorboard while he waited for Peter to get to the bakery. “Hey, can I ask you something? Because I’m not so sure that Deaton wasn’t screwing with us.” 

“Go ahead.” Peter encouraged, keeping his eyes on the road. He glanced at Stiles after he made a turn, looking expectantly at him.

“Have you ever heard of the Olympics?” Stiles asked carefully, watching Peter’s reaction.

Peter glanced at him again, tilting his head. “What’s that, a porn or something? TV show?” 

“Sort of a tv show.” Stiles sighed. “Not porn. Why the hell would I be asking you if you’d seen porn? Why does that even sound like porn to you?” He twisted around a little to look at Scott. “That answers our question, definitively.” 

Peter furrowed his brows as Scott sighed in frustration, taking another turn and pulling to a stop in the bakery’s parking lot. “Hell if I know.” He told Stiles. “You’re the one that’s from the future, I figured it was some kinda… attempt to figure out what I knew about now that you didn’t know about now right… now.” He made another face. “Whatever. So if it’s not porn, what is it?”

“It’s a series of games.” Lydia repeated the remark she had made to Deaton, this time for Peter to hear. “Athletic games. People around the world compete to win medals. Gold is first place, silver is second, bronze is third. And it’s never existed here, which can only mean that this isn’t the world we’re from.” 

Peter looked intrigued, and then mildly disturbed. “So you’re not actually from the future. At least, not my future.” He said, shutting the car off and stepping out of it in order to go inside the bakery. “You’re from a different universe. That’s… that’s actually kind of incredible.”

“And frightening.” Stiles muttered. 

Peter winced. “Well, yeah.” He sighed. “Sorry. Come on, let’s get inside with the basket, I’ll get the scones, and then I can take you back to the house.” He peered into the window at Scott and Lydia. “Are you two coming in or staying here?”

“We’ll stay here.” Lydia smiled softly, thinking. “You won’t be more than a few minutes, anyway.” 

Peter gave her a soft smile right back. “Alright. If you need anything, just say it. I’ll hear you.” He stepped away from the car.

Lydia turned toward Scott a few seconds later. “Are you okay?” 

Scott started to nod his head, and then paused and shook it. “I don’t think I can be okay with this. Or… I can try to be. I don’t know. I think this - I think we might’ve bitten off more than we can chew?”

“Do you want to try to go back? Or go somewhere else? I mean, it’s a small thing. Assuming it’s the only difference.” Lydia murmured. “So we don’t have the Olympics. If we were a curling team or ice-skaters, that would be a problem.” 

Scott huffed a soft laugh. “We don’t have anything to go back to. And… all things considered, yeah, you’re right. If all this universe is missing is the Olympics, then… we kinda lucked out. I just mean that it’s kind of overwhelming. We thought we were going back to our own past. Instead, we went back to the past that other versions of us lived through. And - it’s so, so close to what we lived, even before we started making changes.”

“I just really miss Allison.” Lydia sighed. “I never stopped missing her.” 

Scott sniffed softly and nodded. “Same. I… I feel the same.” He murmured quietly, and then warily looked toward the bakery before lowering his voice even more. “I love Malia. But Allison was my… she was everything. And she - she was a hero. But she didn’t deserve what happened to her.”

“You might not like Malia, here.” Lydia said carefully. “She won’t be wild, the way she was when we knew her. And I don’t want to talk about Allison anymore, not where Stiles can hear. I’m pretty sure that he still blames himself.” 

Scott sighed. “I’m pretty sure he does, too. But yeah, we’ll… I don’t know.” He paused, and then, slightly louder, “Peter, can you get some cherry and cheese danishes?” He was silent, and then smiled crookedly when he heard Peter laugh and agree. Glancing at Lydia, he said, “I don’t care if my metabolism isn’t the same. I want to get high on as much sugar as possible and then crash. Hard.”

Lydia leaned toward Scott, hugging him. “I know what you mean.” She nodded. 

***

On the last day of school, Stiles had been struggling to sit still. He knew that in September, he and Scott and Lydia would be in second grade. Lydia was still confident that the three of them would be skipped ahead to fifth or sixth grade before the end of the first grading period. Stiles was just as convinced that his mom would be back before that happened, and he had a detailed plan for how to befriend Erica, in the meantime. 

Lydia set a stress ball down in front of Stiles, then sat up straight at her desk, smiling faintly. “We’ve only got twenty minutes, are you sure you can’t hold out that long?” 

Stiles shook his head. “We still have a lot to do and we’ve only got about ten weeks to do it. Allison needs to be here with us, but my dad can’t go anywhere because he’s got to work, and so does Scott’s mom. So you have to convince your mom to take you to wherever Allison is. And I think you can find her.” 

“I know I can.” Lydia nodded, her eyes wide. She pressed her lips together, eyeing the teacher at the front of the room before she spoke again. “You and Scott are going to be busy, anyway. Training for both of you and martial arts, and I’ll have to fall behind on it, even though I don’t want to. And you’ll have to find a way to get along with Malia, Jackson, Theo, Isaac, Erica and Boyd. I don’t expect we’ll be gone longer than two weeks, though.” 

Stiles sighed and put his head down. 

Scott leaned against Stiles’ desk, reaching out to pet his friend’s hair. “It’ll be okay.” He murmured softly. “We can handle it. Two weeks? Easy. It’s plenty of time, man.”

“I know.” Stiles murmured. “It’s the next fifteen minutes that are going to drive me insane.” 

Scott smiled crookedly. “Wanna play tic-tac-toe?”

“God, yes.” Stiles blurted, sitting up. He grabbed a sheet of paper from his backpack, since he had already cleaned out his desk, and got a pencil from his pencil box. He drew a board and put an ‘x’ in the center, then held the paper out to Scott. 

Scott grinned and held out his hand to take the paper, tugging it toward him before drawing an ‘o’ directly below the ‘x’.

Stiles put another ‘x’ in the top right corner, handing it back across the space between their desks. 

Scott drew another ‘o’ in the bottom left corner to block Stiles, giggling silently before passing it back.

Stiles put a third ‘x’ in the bottom right corner, blocking Scott from getting three in a row, as well. “This never ends well for either of us.” 

Scott snorted, dragging the paper back and scrawling an ‘o’ in the far right center of the grid. “Why do we keep doing this? Playing squares would be smarter.”

“Yes, but more time consuming.” Stiles put a final x in the top left corner, drawing a line to show that he had three in a row. “Okay, maybe sometimes, one of us wins.” He smiled. 

Scott laughed softly. “Yeah, you win.” He teased, and drew a line around the finished grid, separating it from the rest of the page.

“That’s why you need me around.” Stiles laughed. “I can see things that you can’t.” 

Scott snorted softly. “Yeah, you’re not wrong.”

Lydia tapped her feet, starting to feel just as impatient as Stiles. “You know, there’s a reason why I was your tether.” She muttered, looking at him. “It’s like I can feel what you’re feeling, sometimes. So relax.” 

“Come on, keep distracting yourself.” Scott encouraged. “We don’t have that much more time to go.”

“I know.” Stiles nodded. “Lydia, what time are you leaving?” 

“I’ve told you ten times today alone.” Lydia smiled. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.” 

“Do you have everything you need to take with you?” Scott asked her, fidgeting. “What are you going to say to Ally when you find her?”

“I’m going to introduce myself the same way I did when I met her the first time.” Lydia smiled. “At least, I’ll try to keep it as similar as I can. I can hardly say I like her jacket if she’s not wearing one.” 

“True.” Scott laughed softly, smiling. 

“I just wish one of us could go with you.” Stiles muttered. “Just in case Chris or Victoria lose their shit or something.” 

“Victoria was always the one more likely to do that.” Scott said softly, shaking his head. “But yeah, I definitely wish we could go with you.”

“I do, too.” Lydia admitted. “But you’ll both be all right. And so will I.” She stood up, pulling her backpack straps over her shoulders when the teacher told them that they could line up by the doors. “I know I said we should try to advance in school, but maybe that’s not our big objective anymore. I’ll think about it while I’m gone, but if Allison and everyone else will be in first grade, while we’re in second? We might want to consider not getting too far ahead in our education.” 

“Bull.” Stiles muttered, snorting. “If we get further ahead, it just proves we can help tutor them and we can use that to our advantage.” 

“Allison will be in the second grade anyway,” Scott pointed out, reaching for his own backpack. “At least until her teachers hold her back because of all the moving around she had to do.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know when that starts.” Stiles pointed out. “It might be that she gets here and is held back because of where she is, academically.” He put his backpack on, but wasn’t in a hurry to get into the line, where he would just have to stand and wait patiently once more. “We won’t know until August. We’ll have all summer to just ride our bikes and run around in the woods or go to the park.” 

Scott smiled crookedly. “And take our martial arts lessons. And we’re probably really lucky that Derek knows the woods inside and out.”

“I know them inside and out.” Stiles murmured. “And even if I didn’t, I don’t think it would matter that much. I think I could handle it, either way. But yeah. Busy summer.” 

***

Stiles had no idea how right he was. While Lydia was getting into the cab, to go to the airport with her mom, Stiles was measuring out a rectangle of space in the back yard and planning to start a garden there. He wasn’t sure what had inspired him to do it, he just wanted to kill as much time as possible until their little pack could expand. 

John walked onto the back porch, watching Stiles silently with a tall glass of water in his hand. He leaned over the railing, tilting his head thoughtfully. “How big are you making it?” He asked.

“I’m thinking eight feet by four feet.” Stiles looked up at his dad. “We can plant vegetables, at least. Maybe some herbs, too? Or flowers. But not a lot of flowers because Mom hates bees.” 

John smiled gently. He didn’t want to disagree with Stiles, because he thought it was incredibly thoughtful of Stiles to want to plant flowers for a woman that John wasn’t sure would come back. “I think that’s a great idea, son.” He murmured. “Maybe we could put the flowers in a different spot. And we can pick some flowers that don’t need bees to pollinate them. Orchids, and sunflowers, maybe, yeah?”

“Sunflowers would be good.” Stiles agreed. “Maybe I can ride my bike to the store and get seeds and stuff?” 

John smiled. “Yeah, I don’t see why not. I’ll give you a couple of extra bills, and you can get everything you want, and anything else you might think you need besides.”

Stiles got up and dusted his hands off on his shorts. “Okay. Maybe some stuff to make lemonade or tea, then. I’ll probably have Scott come back with me. Maybe Derek too, if he’s anywhere around where I’m going. But I’m not riding my bike all the way out to the Hale house. Not today, anyway.” 

John nodded. “Why don’t you see if you can give him a call? Both of them, even? See if they can meet up with you at the store, and then all three of you can ride back here?”

“Okay.” Stiles repeated, nodding. “Do you want anything else while I’m gone, then?” 

John shook his head. “Nothing I can think of off the top of my head. But why don’t you think of what you want to eat later, talk it over with Scott and Derek, and we’ll make or order whatever it is when you get home.”

“Yeah.” Stiles gave his dad a curious look, but shrugged and went into the house to call Scott. “Hey, want to go for a bike ride with me?” 

“Sure. Where to?” Scott asked curiously. “Are we going on an adventure?” He grinned.

Stiles laughed. “If going to the store and buying seed packets counts, then yes. I'm putting a garden in my back yard. I’m going to call Derek in a minute and see if he wants to come with us. And we can buy other stuff, too. And figure out dinner.” 

“Cool. I could eat, definitely. And I don’t think I’m good at gardening, but I can help with that, too.” Scott murmured, smiling. “Should I meet you there, or meet you at the house?”

“Just come over here, since Derek is going to take awhile to get here, anyway.” Stiles murmured. “I’m not in a hurry.” 

“Okay.” Scott replied. “In that case, I’ll be there soon.”

“See you soon, then.” Stiles hung up, then called the Hale house. “Hi, this is Stiles. Can I talk to Derek?”

“Derek?” Cora repeated, and then took a deep breath. “Derek!” She shrieked. “Phone!”

Stiles took the phone away from his ear and wiggled his finger in it, grimacing. “Okay, so she’s always been insufferable.” He muttered, forgetting until it was too late that Cora could probably hear him. 

The girl snickered at him before there was the soft thump of the phone being tossed onto a soft surface.

Derek picked it up with a frown a moment later. “Hello?” He asked, frowning. 

“Dude, do you want to come over here and hang out today?” Stiles asked. “We’re probably going to ride bikes to the store. It’s just me and Scott.” 

“Sure.” Derek agreed, grinning against the phone. “I can meet you at the store. I’m not dressed yet, it’ll take me a bit if you wanna get a headstart.”

“Sure.” Stiles echoed. “I’m just waiting for Scott now, anyway.” 

“Cool.” Derek murmured. “Do you want me to bring anything over? Legos, movies?”

“Uh, probably not today?” Stiles mused. “I’m starting a garden in my yard and I have a few other things I want to do, too. But you can stay for dinner, if you want.” 

“That sounds good.” Derek said. “I’d like that. I’ll go get ready now, and I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed. He hung up and grabbed his school backpack, making sure it was unloaded from the day before. He wanted to buy the seeds for the garden, then ride around and check on everyone else. 

Scott rolled up the Stilinskis’ front drive a few minutes later, hopping off the bike and jogging up the porch steps. He knocked on the door. “I’m here!” He called. “Let me in!”

Stiles opened the door, smirking at his best friend. “You could have let yourself in.” 

“That would be rude.” Scott said earnestly, his eyes slightly wide. He shook his head and made his way inside the house. “Anyway. Did you get ahold of Derek, then?”

“Yeah, I did. He says we should just go to the store, and he’ll meet us there. I pissed Cora off, I think. But that’s not like it’s anything new, you know?” Stiles shrugged. 

“What doesn’t piss Cora off?” Scott snorted. “Besides… I’m not so sure you actually did anything to piss her off beyond existing. I kinda feel like she’s got that attitude with everyone who isn’t her family. And even her family, then.”

“Well, that’s true.” Stiles smiled. “Are you ready to go?” 

Scott nodded. “Definitely, yeah.” He grinned back and turned toward the door before hopping back down the porch steps and grabbing his bike.

Stiles followed Scott down the steps, unlocking his bike from where it was against the railing, before he walked it down to the sidewalk and got on. “I feel weird about not being able to talk to Lydia.” 

“Me, too.” Scott admitted, sighing as he climbed onto his own bike. “But… I mean, she won’t be gone long. She’ll find Ally, no problem. And then she’ll be home in no time.”

“We need to talk to everyone else.” Stiles murmured. “That was kind of our plan, right? She gets Allison, we start working on other people, and by August, we’ll all be on our way to being a pack.” 

Scott nodded. “I guess we should probably try for Isaac first? Or should we work on the triplets, once we figure out who the third one is?”

“Isaac first.” Stiles agreed. “And Erica. Or at least, Isaac for you and Erica for me? Since we connected with them individually, that way. Boyd for Lydia. I’m not sure why they got along so well, but they did. She was devastated when he died. We’ll talk to Jackson when we’re visiting Isaac, and I’ll try to get him to listen to me. It worked before, it can work again. Or here. Or whatever. Danny’s more likely to listen to you, though. And Malia kind of connected to both of us, but I understand if you don’t want me around her, you know? Other than that, we’ll have to look into who else was born that day. We should be able to access medical records at the hospital. Anyway... Isaac and Erica today.” 

Scott grinned faintly. “Alright.” He agreed easily, nodding. He started biking a moment later, grunting a little as the pedals jammed slightly before they gave.

***

Lydia had managed to track the Argents’ whereabouts to a tiny town in Louisiana. But she didn’t realize how small it was until her mom pulled into a campground lot and frowned at her. 

“Lydia, are you sure this is where you want us to have our vacation? We could go anywhere else in the world, and I just don’t see why you’d choose this place. This campground is all that’s here, and the nearest gas station is at least three or four miles back that way.” Natalie pointed. “Maybe instead, we could just go to New Orleans or even take a flight to Paris?” 

“No.” Lydia protested. “We’ll find something to do around here, I just know it.” She got out of the car, stretching her legs and looking around for a familiar black SUV until she realized that Chris wouldn’t even have that, yet. She wandered around the campground, to the only other two vehicles on the lot, and wondered how she was going to introduce herself to Allison without seeming creepy. 

“Daddy!” Allison hollered, tromping across the grass and carrying a bucket that was half her height. “Dad, the fish are tryin’ to jump outta the bucket, they won’t stop wigglin’!”

Chris snorted out a laugh and stepped past the treeline toward his daughter, taking the bucket from her easily. “And what were you doing with the bucket anyway, Ally-cat?”

Allison flushed. “Tryin’ to set the fish free. It doesn’t help when they’re tryin’ to jump out before I can even get to the river.”

“Tell you what. I’ll go set them free, if you want to grab your bow and arrows, hmm? Take some practice shots at the trees, yeah?” Chris ran a hand over the top of her head. “Go on, sweetheart.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Allison bobbed her head, and started walking toward the edge of the woods, where a small, inconspicuous dark green car was parked. She paused when she caught sight of Lydia and her mother, blinking owlishly at them before she promptly stopped in place. “Hi?” She said warily, looking curious.

“Hi.” Lydia replied, smiling. She felt jittery, but reminded herself not to rush at the other girl, before she walked toward her. “I’m Lydia. What’s your name?” 

The dark-haired girl ducked her head shyly, twisting her hands together. “Allison.” She said softly, her eyes wide as she stared back at Lydia. “What - um, are you camping, too?”

“Maybe. If I can convince my mom.” Lydia laughed. “She doesn’t like camping. She wants to go to Paris. But I wanted to come here.” 

Allison’s head tilted to the side. “How come?” She asked. “Do you like fishing?” She looked around, likely searching for her father, and then leaned toward Lydia and whispered loudly, “I don’t. I tried to set my daddy’s fish free.” She paused, and scowled. “But I couldn’t lift the bucket.”

Lydia smiled. “I guess it’s an okay thing to do.” She shrugged. “But it’s not my idea of fun or anything. How long have you been here?” 

“Three days.” Allison smiled. “I’m kind of bored out of my mind.”

“Maybe we can find something else to do, and you can talk your dad into doing that? And then you won’t be bored. We can go swimming maybe, but not somewhere with fish. And I could paint your nails, if you want?” 

Allison perked up, her eyes widening slightly. There had been no one to paint her nails or do anything of any fun with her since her parents had divorced - since before then, even, when Chris had forbidden Kate from coming over anymore. “Yes!” She blurted, nodding rapidly. “I’d love that.”

Lydia beamed. “Okay. Come with me and we’ll see if my mom can find a hotel or something, and then you can ask your dad to go there with you, instead.” She was a little surprised at how easy it was to convince Allison to change her dad’s plans, but they had become friends almost instantly, where Lydia was from. She wondered if all of the universes were like that, but she knew better than to assume they would be.

Allison smiled. “Okay.” She agreed. The truth was, she did enjoy camping, but she’d had enough of it already - especially since there was no one other than her dad to enjoy it with. Not that she didn’t like spending time with her dad. She couldn’t explain why she felt drawn to the other girl, but it was like she had looked at Lydia and had immediately found a best friend for life. She would gladly jump at the chance to spend a little time with her.

Lydia led the way back over to her mom. “Okay, can we find a hotel to stay at?” She asked. “Because this place isn’t really what I thought it was going to be.” 

Natalie glanced at the brunette, then looked back at her daughter. “Yes.” She tapped the map she had been reading. “I already made a reservation. I was going to give you a few minutes, then come get you. There’s an inn up the road. Townsmen Inn.” 

Lydia glanced at Allison. “Let’s go talk to your dad.” 

Allison nodded and led the way as she followed the path to the river that her father had taken. 

Chris met the girls halfway, looking curious and a bit surprised. “Ally, honey, is something wrong?” He asked, glancing at Lydia.

Allison smiled up at her father. “Nothing’s wrong, Dad, but can we go to a hotel now? I’m tired of camping. I feel icky and I want a shower, and Lydia and her mom are gonna be staying at a hotel, too, and I wanna paint my nails with her like I used to with Kate.”

Chris paused, but took a deep breath, staring at his daughter thoughtfully. He glanced at Lydia a moment later, and then past both of them at the tall, red-haired woman looking at her purse. “You’re positive? This is what you want to do?”

Allison nodded. “Yes, please.”

There was a faint look of disappointment on Chris’ face, but he nodded once, his eyes softening at his daughter’s hopefulness. “Alright, then. I guess we’d better get everything packed up, hmm? Go on, sweetheart, start gathering stuff up.”

Allison beamed up at him, hugging him around one leg. “Thanks, Dad.” She murmured, before splitting away from him. She looked at Lydia and impulsively held her hand out. “Wanna help me?”

Lydia grinned and held Allison’s hand. “Yes.” She giggled. “This is going to be great!”

Allison couldn’t help jumping in place in excitement, an enormous smile overtaking her face. “Come on!” She blurted, and tugged the other girl away.

Lydia followed Allison into a cabin, wrinkling her nose at the way everything smelled like pine. It was a good scent in winter, during Christmas - but not something she wanted to permeate her clothes in the heat of summer. 

Allison turned her head in time to catch the expression, and let out a giggle. “Yeah, it’s kinda stinky. And strong. Dad likes it, but…” She shrugged. “It’s okay, I just kind of wish I could smell something else. Like cookies.” She walked toward the bedroom - there was only one in the cabin, and Chris has given up the bed to her, saying that the fold-out couch suited him just fine. She thought he was lying.

“Maybe we can find a bakery somewhere. There’s one in my town that has really good brownies and cupcakes.” Lydia smiled. “I don’t know if their cookies are any good.” 

Allison looked at her curiously. “Where is your town?” She asked, starting to pack things up. “And I think all cookies can be pretty good…” She grinned widely. “But brownies and cupcakes are the best, too.”

“Beacon Hills. It’s in northern California.” Lydia explained. “Where are you from?” 

Allison tilted her head to the side, thinking seriously on Lydia’s question. “Well… I was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire.” She offered. “And Mom and Dad and I all lived there until I was three. And then Mom and Dad didn’t want to be together anymore, and Dad started moving us around, so… I guess I’m from all over.”

Lydia pressed her lips together tightly, in an effort to keep herself from saying something that would scare Allison. Victoria and Chris being divorced was another hiccup in the timeline that she, Stiles and Scott had constructed. She would have to call them and let them know as soon as she had the chance. “Where were you before this?” 

“Um…. Stanton, New Jersey.” Allison made a face, hunching her shoulders a little. “I didn’t like it there.” She shoved clothes into a bag, and then did the same to a larger bag that belonged to her father.

“Where are you moving after this?” Lydia demanded, wanting to ask for more details about Stanton, but deciding it was a bad idea to press her new (old) friend. 

Shrugging, Allison moved toward the small vanity and picked up her brush and hairspray before tossing them into her bag as well. “I’m not sure. Dad usually checks the newspapers and the internet on his laptop for a really long time before he makes a plan and picks out where we go. I think he mentioned something about Silverthorne, Colorado, because he’s a dork and our last name means silver and he thinks he’s funny.”

“Well, then I’ve got just enough time to help you convince him to move to California.” Lydia smiled. “Since you’ve never been to my town before.” 

Allison’s lips twitched as she looked up at Lydia. “Is there fun stuff to do in Beacon Hills?” She asked, already warmed up to the idea.

“Well, it’s kind of a small town.” Lydia admitted. “But there’s an ice-skating rink and lots of festivals and things like that. And you’ll get to meet my other friends, like Scott and Stiles.” 

Allison’s eyes brightened at the thought of meeting more people. “Okay.” She nodded rapidly. “We’ll talk to Dad and convince him to move us there.”

Lydia smiled widely, nodding. 

With her things, and her father’s things packed away in their respective bags, Allison put the straps of her bag over her shoulder, and then struggled with her father’s bag before grunting, grabbing it with two hands, and dragging it toward the door.

Lydia laughed softly and grabbed one of the handles, determined to help Allison. “I’ve been taking martial arts classes.” She glanced at the other girl, smiling. “To be stronger.” 

“I’ve taken some.” Allison admitted, smiling back at the redhead. “I think the only reason I did well at all was because I took gymnastics, too, but… it’s kind of hard to keep it up when I’m moving all the time. Maybe if Daddy moves us to Beacon Hills and we stay, I’ll be able to practice more.” She wobbled out the door with her side of the bag.

***

Lydia practically ran through her house, after she and her mom returned home. She threw her suitcase down on her bed and stopped long enough to throw sneakers into her backpack before she raced back outside, sitting on the front porch to put her skates on. She called out to her mom that she would be back later, then skated over to Allison’s new house. “Hi!” She called out, grinning. Over the past couple of weeks, she had felt like a tea kettle, just before it started to whistle. She was brimming over with knowledge of Allison, and couldn’t admit to knowing anything until the other girl mentioned it, first. 

Allison beamed at her, waving her hand wildly. “Hi!” She called back, running down the front steps and coming to a stop in front of Lydia. “What do you wanna do? Can we go around town so I can see what’s here? Or do you have something cooler in mind?”

“I can show you around, sure. We can go to Stiles’ house, probably. Or Scott’s. They’re both always at one or the other.” Lydia laughed. “And I can show you the school and the bakery, and the ice rink.” 

Allison’s dimples were deep from the strength of her smile. “I’d like that.” She blurted, bobbing her head up and down. She trailed the rest of the way down the steps and stood next to Lydia. “My skates are buried somewhere in all of our boxes, still, but if you want to keep yours on, you can. If you don’t, you can leave them on my porch, or inside the door.”

Lydia nodded, laughing again. “I brought my sneakers, just in case.” She sat down on Allison’s steps to change into her sneakers, leaving the skates in the house. “It’s not too far, really. A few blocks away, and up a hill. For Stiles’ house, at least. Scott’s is a little further.” 

Allison nodded in understanding. “Okay. I don’t mind walking, however far.” She looked up and down the street, taking it in - not for the first time since they’d moved into the house - and smiled faintly. “It’s such a pretty neighborhood here. Is all of Beacon Hills this pretty?”

“Most of it.” Lydia murmured. “Not really by the warehouses, since most of them are abandoned now. It’s all gravel and busted up sidewalks, over there.” She held a hand out to Allison. “I’m just looking forward to you meeting Scott.” 

Allison looked amused as she took Lydia’s hand. “Why?” She asked curiously as she started to walk.

“I just really think the two of you will like each other.” Lydia admitted. “You’re both really nice and you care about animals, and a few other reasons.” 

Allison laughed. “Well, I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t mind more friends.” She murmured, and squeezed Lydia’s hand gently.

“Trust me, there will be plenty for you, here.” Lydia grinned. After a few more minutes of walking, she gestured to Stiles’ house. “This is where Stiles lives.” She walked up to his front door and knocked. 

Stiles opened the door, smiling at Lydia before he turned his head to look at Allison. “Hey! Come on in and go through the back door, in the kitchen. We’re all in the back yard, with tea and lemonade.” 

“All?” Lydia stepped into the house, giving Stiles a curious look. 

“Yeah. It’s Scott, Derek, Erica, Boyd, Isaac, Jackson, Danny and Malia.” Stiles explained, giving Lydia a knowing smile. “Boyd’s sister is friends with Cora, I guess. We’ve been waiting for you to come back.” 

“Okay.” Lydia glanced at Allison. “Oh, right. This is Allison. Allison, this is Stiles.” 

Allison looked a little nervous, suddenly, knowing that there were more people there than she’d expected. She held on tighter to Lydia’s hand, swallowing a little, and smiled shyly at Stiles. “Hi.” She greeted softly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Don’t worry.” Lydia smiled confidently. “I plan on having all kinds of parties with even more people than this, and you’ll be invited to all of them.” 

Stiles motioned for Lydia to go ahead into the back yard. He turned toward Allison. “If you don’t want to go out there and deal with a lot of people, that’s okay, too. We could hang out in here and watch tv. I get sunburned pretty easily, anyway.” 

Allison stared after Lydia, breathing a little shakily. She inhaled, and then looked at Stiles. “I - um, is it okay if I just stay inside for just… a little bit? I’m not… I’m not really good around a lot of people, and I wasn’t… really expecting there to be a lot of people here.”

“I get panic attacks.” Stiles murmured. “It’s okay. I mean, the panic attacks aren’t, just... you can hang out in here. Do you want tea or lemonade, or maybe both at once? We have popcorn and chips, too.” 

Allison smiled meekly at him. “I’d like that, the... Um, both, I mean. That sounds good. And the popcorn. And… I might go out in a little bit, I know I can’t stay in here the whole time, but I just… I need to adjust?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. “Do you want me to leave you alone, or stay here? No pressure.” 

“You can stay.” Allison murmured. “I can deal with one or two people at a time, it’s just lots of people in one spot that freaks me out. Bad experiences.”

“I’ll be right back.” Stiles went into the kitchen, coming back with a cup and a bowl of popcorn a couple of minutes later. He set them down in front of Allison, then sat down on the couch, making sure to leave enough space between them. “So, you’re new here, then?” 

Allison nodded and took the cup, lifting it to her mouth to take a sip before setting it down. “Yes. My dad and I just moved to town not that long ago. I met Lydia when Dad and I were camping in Louisiana, and she kind of convinced me that I should be here. I don’t even remember how we talked Dad into moving here.” She took a few kernels of popcorn and popped them into her mouth.

“Not that long ago.” Stiles repeated, snorting. “Didn’t you guys just get here yesterday or today?” 

Allison shrugged. “Dad bought the house when we were still on the other side of the country, and Lydia talked this place up so much that… well, it already kind of felt like home by the time we got here.” She kicked her feet a little.

“Well, there’s a lot to do, this summer.” Stiles glanced over at Allison. “Now that Lydia’s back, she’ll probably start taking tae kwon do with me and Scott, and maybe you can do that, too? Erica’s epileptic, and she’s self-conscious about it, and her parents probably won’t let her take it. But I think everyone else wants to. I’ve been trying to think of something Erica can do, that we can do with her. I don’t want anyone to feel left out. I think there’s a Girl Scout group, maybe you guys can all do that together?” 

Allison’s lips twitched. “You just want to know when the cookies start coming out.” She teased him without thinking about it. “I don’t know about joining the Girl Scouts. But I’ll think about it. She should still get the chance to learn how to defend herself, though, it’d be unfair if her parents didn’t let her participate. It’d be another thing entirely if she doesn’t want to.”

“I agree with that.” Stiles grinned. “I’m glad you’re here with us. For a long time, it was just me and Scott.” He paused, remembering belatedly that he was still only six years old. “I mean, all for kindergarten. We got skipped into first grade with Lydia, and we’re starting second grade in August.” 

“Wow.” Allison said softly. “I don’t know what grade I’m supposed to be in. Dad has to take me to get the placement test at the school, though, so maybe I’ll get to be in the second grade, too.” She smiled.

Stiles was quiet, just watching Allison for a minute. “Hey, do you want to go with me somewhere? Jackson’s birthday is tomorrow and I was thinking that I’d get him some cupcakes or something, but I think we can celebrate today instead of tomorrow, since his parents probably have plans for him.” 

Allison looked at him thoughtfully, and then nodded hesitantly. “Sure.” She paused, and then lit up. “Ooh, then we must be going to the bakery Lydia talked about. She said they had really great brownies and cupcakes.” She took another drink, and then looked at Stiles. “Did you want to go now?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded, smiling. He stood up, holding a hand out to her. “Come on, it’s only a few blocks. Wait.” He made a face, thinking. “Okay. We’re going to have to take my wagon, I think. Because I would feel weird about riding my bike while you walk, and I can’t carry a bunch of cupcakes by myself and I don’t wanna just assume you’ll help, and it just makes more sense to use the wagon, anyway. I’ll have to get it out of the garage.” 

Allison giggled. “I would help, just so you know. But okay. I’d have brought my rollerblades over, but like I told Lydia, they’re still buried in one of my boxes somewhere and I’m not sure exactly where.” She hopped off of the couch and looked at Stiles, wide brown eyes blinking expectantly.

Stiles grinned and led the way outside, opening the door into the garage and carrying a toddler-friendly wagon back out. He laughed, a little embarrassed. “It’s probably nerdy, but my parents just didn’t want to throw this out. My mom is, um, not home right now. She’s sort of on vacation. But she’ll come back and see the garden I made, pretty much all by myself, and she’ll want to stay.”

Allison looked intrigued. “You made a garden on your own?” She asked. “Is that why everybody was outside, they were in the garden? I bet it’s really pretty. What did you plant in it?” 

“Sunflowers and a bunch of other stuff. Carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, basil and rosemary, and other herbs and vegetables. You can see it when we come back. I have everything labeled, too. I just wanted to stay busy because I get into trouble if I get too bored.” Stiles admitted. “So I don’t want to do that.” 

“I can understand that.” Allison replied, nodding. “It’s why I was taking gymnastics and martial arts classes, sort of. It might have also been to keep me distracted when my parents were fighting.”

Stiles set the wagon down, grabbing the handle and walking toward the bakery. “Are they still fighting a lot?” He glanced over at her. 

Allison looked back at him, falling silent, and she shook her head. “They got officially divorced when I was four. Dad and I have been moving around ever since.”

“Shit.” Stiles muttered. “Okay. I mean, that’s... that sucks.” 

Allison shrugged a shoulder. “They weren’t getting along. The way I understand it, you stay married when you care about each other. The only thing they could agree to care about was me, and… my dad won custody, so that’s that.”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured. “Well, Scott’s mom is divorced, and so is Lydia’s mom.” 

“And you said your mom’s on a trip?” Allison asked. She smiled faintly. “So at least she’s coming back. My mom writes to me, but I haven’t seen her in awhile. Dad lets her knows every time we’ve moved so that she can still get in contact with me.”

“Maybe she can come visit now?” Stiles suggested. “Because that would be nice, right?” 

Allison looked at him uncertainly. “Maybe, yeah. It would be nice. I just don’t really know if she will.”

“Well, I think you’ll be around here awhile, so she’s got time.” Stiles shrugged. He opened the door to the bakery, pushing the wagon in before he walked in after it. He studied the menu and the desserts in the display case before he waved a hand to get the clerk’s attention. “Hey, can I get a Boston cream cupcake in a box by itself, and a dozen more cupcakes? But I want two chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, one chocolate cake with lemon frosting, one chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. And then the same kind of frostings on vanilla cake cupcakes.” He eyed the display case again. “And then I want a chocolate cherry cupcake with cherry frosting, and I guess... um. Two cinnamon cupcakes with whatever frosting you want, and the last one can be blueberry?” He made a face. “That’s a lot of stuff, isn’t it? Maybe just give me whatever you can for the dozen, but I still need the Boston cream one to be separate.” 

“It’s okay, Stiles.” The clerk smiled. “We haven’t had a lot of people in here today, since everyone else wants ice cream, so we’re glad to see you.” 

Stiles grinned, his nervous smile becoming a happier one. “Okay.” 

Allison’s eyes were slightly wide as she listened to Stiles order. “That’s a lot of cupcakes,” she said softly. 

“It’s only thirteen.” Stiles shrugged. “That means everybody gets at least two, and my dad can have one. Or everybody can have one, and parents can have whatever’s left.” He smiled. “Jackson deserves a good party. That’s all.” 

Allison smiled back at him. “That’s really sweet.” She told him. “I hope it is a good party, then. And that’s smart. Maybe I can take one home to my dad, if there’s any left over.”

Stiles nodded. A moment later, he grabbed the containers and put them in the wagon. “Can you get the door for me?” 

Allison nodded and wandered over to the door, holding it open for Stiles. 

Stiles wheeled the wagon back outside and back toward his house. “Which cupcake do you want?” He asked, turning toward her. “Because I’ll make sure nobody else gets one that you like.” 

Allison chewed on her lower lip. “Um… is the blueberry one for someone in particular? Because if it is, then I’ll just take one of the chocolate ones. Um. The one with the lemon frosting.”

“Well, it was kind of for Scott...” Stiles admitted. “But he’ll be okay with getting a different one.” 

Allison shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to take someone else’s cupcake.” She smiled at him. “That’s why I had a second choice. If it’s for Scott, then it’s for Scott.”

Stiles grinned back. “Scott really won’t care, though. Look, I’ll prove it. When we get back to my house, I’ll call him into the kitchen and let him choose, after telling him that you want the blueberry one.” 

Allison fidgeted. “Okay… if you’re sure. Only if you’re sure. I’m new, I don’t… I don’t really want to step on anyone’s toes.”

Stiles bit his lip, wondering if he should just tell her. He felt like it might be the right thing to do, to explain how she was important to him, Lydia and Scott - but he knew that Lydia would be horrified if he scared the brunette away so quickly after her hard work to get the Argents to live in Beacon Hills. “I’m sure.” He said finally. “Seriously, it’s just a cupcake and we have them at least once a month.” 

Staring at Stiles steadily to gauge exactly how serious he was, Allison finally smiled at him and nodded. “Okay. If you say so.” She followed along beside him, keeping pace easily as she watched him. “You’re really nice. Nicer than a lot of people I’ve met that are my age.”

“I kind of have an old soul.” Stiles snorted. “I just really want all of my friends to stay my friends, I guess. I don’t want anyone to be sad or feel alone.” 

Allison hummed softly, clutching her hands together. “I like that.” She murmured. “And… thanks for including me as a friend.” She grinned. “Even though you just met me.”

“Lydia likes you. You’re important to her, so you’re important to me.” Stiles shrugged, but he smiled back at Allison. “You know what? Let’s not even tell Scott that you got this one.” He opened the cupcake container and handed Allison the blueberry cupcake. “What kind does your dad like?” 

Allison giggled softly, taking the cupcake and ducking her head with a blush. “Sugar. He likes sugar. You could give him the frosting by itself and he’d be happy, he just doesn’t like to admit it.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, my dad’s the same way. Okay, then. Whatever’s left, we’ll just decide then.” 

“That sounds good.” Allison couldn’t help herself, leaning in and taking a bite of the cupcake. She hummed happily, giving a little bounce in place.

Stiles laughed again, then stopped the wagon in front of his house. He left it near his front porch, picking up the boxed cupcake for Jackson and eyeing it, then the bigger box. “Do you want to carry this one, or the bigger container?” 

“Um. I can carry the bigger one, I think.” Allison eyed the smaller box nervously. She finished off her cupcake quickly, and then reached for it, holding the box carefully in her hands.

Stiles carefully carried Jackson’s cupcake up the steps and into the house, going up another flight of stairs and through the house, then out to the back yard. “Hey! Jackson!” 

Jackson looked up curiously, making his way across the yard toward Stiles and lifting his eyebrows. “Hey. What’s -” He paused and stared at the cupcakes between Stiles and Allison, looking confounded. “What’s that for?”

“For you.” Stiles grinned. “I know your birthday is tomorrow, but I thought since we’re all here, we can have a party now? If you would rather just eat this and have everybody shut up, that’s okay. So you’re turning six, right?” He already knew the answer to that, but he had decided to start asking questions to make himself seem less knowledgeable.

Jackson nodded, blinking in surprise. “Uh. Yeah, I’m - yeah. And…” He started to smile. “Yeah, I don’t mind having to celebrate now. That’s cool. Thank you.”

Stiles grinned again and handed the boxed cupcake to Jackson. “Here, this one is yours. And I got a dozen for everybody else to pick from, but Allison already ate hers because I told her to.” 

Lydia walked over and studied the lid on the cupcake tray, reading what each one was labeled as. She picked up the chocolate cherry cupcake and walked over to sit on a bench on the other side of the yard. 

Allison made her way after the other girl, briefly catching a dark-haired boy gaping at her before she sat down beside Lydia and smiled. After a moment, she said decisively, “Thanks for convincing me and my dad to come out here.”

“Well, I knew you belonged here with us.” Lydia smiled. “And I was right, obviously. Stiles let you have a blueberry cupcake, even though everybody knows that it’s probably Scott’s favorite flavor. I saw the labels on the box. I know which one you took.” 

Allison’s cheeks went red with embarrassment. “Was that… was that not okay? He said that I could and that Scott would be okay with it.”

“It’s fine!” Lydia said quickly. “I’m just saying that you’re already part of the group.” 

“Oh.” Allison blinked, and then looked down, her cheeks filling out as she smiled. “I like being part of the group.” She told Lydia earnestly.

Stiles sat on the ground, facing Allison and Lydia as he took a bite of a cinnamon cupcake with apple frosting. He glanced over his shoulder at everyone else, then looked back at them and smiled. 

Allison smiled back down at him, and then looked up when the dark-haired boy that had been staring at her approached, tentatively sitting down with a vanilla cupcake. “Hi.” She murmured.

Scott took a shaky breath, hoping that it made him just look nervous, instead of like he was about to burst into tears at the sight of his first love - eleven years younger than she’d been when he’d known her. He pushed a bright smile onto his face and thrust his unoccupied hand out at her. “Hi. I’m Scott.” He paused, and then added, “I’m glad you’re here.”

Allison started to relax, smiling widely at Stiles, Lydia and Scott at once. “Me, too.”

***

A year and a half after Allison moved to Beacon Hills, Lydia wasn’t sure what to get her for Christmas. She had earned money for tutoring other students, since she and Stiles and Scott were in fifth grade already. Even though Lydia sometimes thought they should be taking high school classes, the school board decided that they were too young to be surrounded by teenagers already - but taking classes for high school and possibly college credit was fine, in summer school. Lydia had decided it was better to be around their other friends a while longer, during the school day, anyway. 

Stiles walked toward her, carrying a couple of shopping bags. “Dad’s waiting for us in the food court, whenever you’re done.” 

Lydia nodded. That was another difference. Her mom had started dating Stiles’ dad, about a year after Claudia said she wasn’t coming back and that she wanted a divorce. Stiles’ mom had said it was because she didn’t think she would be fair to John, to keep him from being able to live his own life. The Martins and Stilinskis were sharing a house now, and Stiles had needed a little longer to adjust, but Lydia didn’t blame him for it. Moving out of the only house he had ever lived in was a big change. And somehow, Melissa seeing John happy in a new relationship had given her the idea that she could date someone else, and she had started seeing Allison’s dad. Things really weren’t the same as they had been, but it made Lydia feel hopeful. “I don’t know what to get for Allison.” 

“I got her some gloves.” Stiles shrugged. “You could get her a hat that matches them, maybe?” 

“I think I’ll have to figure it out somehow.” Lydia’s stomach rumbled, and she grabbed Stiles’ arm and walked over to the escalator, going up to the food court with him. 

John glanced around as he searched for Lydia and Stiles, and then smiled faintly, lifting a hand and waving them over when he saw them. “What are you two in the mood for?” He asked them.

“Tacos.” Lydia smiled. 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Stiles nodded. “Or a burrito.” 

“Both of those sound good.” John grinned at them, placing a hand on either of their shoulders. “Come on then, I’m sure you’re both starving.” He led the way toward the taco place in the food court.

“I can’t find a present for Allison. I’ve managed to get things for everyone else.” Lydia explained while they waited in line. 

“What does she like?” John asked her curiously. “Is there an activity that she likes, or anything she participates in? You could narrow one of them own, and then springboard off of that for an idea.”

“Archery.” Lydia murmured. “And she likes to paint. Maybe I should just get her a watercolor set?” She snorted, glancing at Stiles, who laughed. 

“Yeah, that’s what we need, encourage that.” Stiles teased. 

John looked amused, playfully flicking Stiles’ ear. “Alright, so her archery, then. Get her new arrowheads, new bowstring, targets for practice. Get her time at an archery range so she can practice whenever she wants, I’ll help you with that.”

“She probably has a membership to somewhere like that already.” Stiles pointed out. “But the arrowheads and stuff are a good idea.” 

Lydia ordered her tacos, then stepped aside to wait. “I just feel like that’s not personal enough.” She sighed. “There has to be something else.” 

John gently nudged Stiles ahead of him so that his son could order. He looked at Lydia thoughtfully. “What about… in the other time?” He asked quietly. “Was there something that connected you two then, something just between the two of you?”

“Not really?” Lydia shook her head. “I think one of the biggest reasons we were friends was because we were so different.” 

“And because we were all kind of trying to survive.” Stiles muttered, once he had ordered his food. “I think sometimes that if it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have all been as close as we were.” He looked at Lydia. “You never would have talked to me.” 

“Probably not.” Lydia agreed with another sigh. “I would have gone off to MIT and I’d probably never come back here. But those things did happen and we are where we are, now.” 

John was silent as he listened to the two kids, furrowing his brows together. “Well… then it’s a good thing that those things happened, isn’t it?” He asked quietly.

“I guess, if you consider almost dying about a dozen times a good thing.” Stiles snorted. “Let’s just eat and then you can go buy Allison some earrings or a bracelet and she’ll love it because you got it for her. Okay?” 

Lydia made a face, but agreed. “Yeah, fine.” 

John ordered quickly, and then gathered their food when it was all ready. “Find a table, please?” He asked. 

Lydia and Stiles walked away, sitting at a small table that was close to the coffee shop. Lydia eyed the display of mugs, but knew that it wasn’t the right thing to get for Allison. “I think you’re right, I should get her jewelry.” She murmured. 

John set their food down in front of them, then took a seat. “She might be kind of thrilled with that.” He commented. 

“Yeah, I hope so.” Lydia bit into her taco, kicking her feet under the table idly. 

John took a bite of his soft taco, tilting his head a little to catch the falling condiments. He looked at Stiles and gently nudged his son’s foot with his own. “How about you? Did you find anything for Allison? What about Scott and Derek?”

“I got her some gloves. And I got Scott a new lacrosse stick, and a gift card for the bookstore, for Derek.” Stiles smiled. 

John laughed softly. “Why do I have the feeling that I’m going to be getting phone calls from Melissa about the sudden increase in broken windows she’s going to have?” He teased. “I think they’re going to love those gifts, kiddo.”

***

Years passed. 

Stiles sat down on a bench that he had created by shaping the growth of a few trees, within a shaded area that nobody else would find unless they were specifically looking for it. Their pack consisted of Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Derek, Cora, Erica, Boyd, Isaac, Allison, Kira, Peter, Malia, Jackson, Theo and Danny. Sometimes, Stiles woke up in the middle of the night, worried that something would happen and it would all fall apart, but they had done everything they could to stop it from happening again. 

“Hey, buddy.” Scott murmured, smiling faintly at his best friend as he wandered into their grove. As the years had passed, some of the memories from his previous life - well, they didn’t fade, exactly. They were still there, as sharp as ever, as though they remained to specifically keep Scott and the rest on point, a frequent reminder of what they needed to change. But as they got older, and changed more things, the things that he and Stiles and Lydia had been through had started to take a step back as other memories and experiences took more and more precedence. His relationship to Allison had changed indefinitely. Growing up with her as, for all intents and purposes, her younger brother, had nixed any romantic feelings that may have lingered for her. He still felt love toward her, but it was affection of the highest caliber, and a fierce protectiveness. He knew it amused her - she called him her guard wolf with a smile and petted his hair when he got like that.

Allison followed Scott into the grove, sprawling on her stomach next to Stiles and folding her arms under her head as she looked up at him. “Whatcha doing?” She asked him, poking playfully at his knee. She’d gotten more relaxed, and more open as the years had passed and as she’d integrated herself more and more with the pack. Her bond with Lydia was still the closest one she carried, but her relationship to Scott and Stiles were up there as well. She couldn’t imagine being closer to anyone else than she was to them.

“Just thinking.” Stiles murmured. “About the future and stuff. Things I haven’t done yet. Things I want to do.” He shrugged. “You know, I was-” The police radio he had swiped from his dad crackled, and he fell silent, listening. 

“Requesting any available units or anyone listening to this. I know these radios don’t go beyond our county, but we need reinforcements.” There was a coughing sound, then some more static before a raspy, whispered, “Please hurry,” could be heard. 

“Shit.’ Stiles muttered. “Scott?” As he looked up at his friend, he did a double take. He was suddenly sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by pack members. He squinted, trying to decide if he should ask if any of them remembered anything. “Um.” 

“When are you going to get glasses?” Danny demanded. “You’re always squinting at people like you can’t see them very clearly, or maybe like you’re trying to look through them. Either way, those wrinkles around your eyes are just going to get more defined. Next year, you’re going to turn thirty and I won’t feel sorry for you if everyone thinks you’re a grandfather.” 

Lydia looked up from her menu. “Actually, I need to drag Scott and Stiles away for a minute. We’ll be right back.” 

Scott sat up straight, looking bewildered and a bit nauseous before he glanced at Lydia and nodded. “Yeah, uh. Let’s - lead the way?”

Lydia nodded and walked away from the table, going outside to the front of the restaurant. She wasn’t even sure where they were, at first. A couple of recognizable Beacon Hills fixtures was enough to make her relax, but not by much. She turned to face her friends. “How did we get here?” 

“I don’t know.” Stiles muttered. “Everyone is here, though. And apparently, I’m twenty-nine? Based on the weather, I’m going to say that we all are. It’s not late August yet, and...” He paused, verifying that on his cell phone. “Yeah, it’s July. So... what are we doing?” 

“Leaving, obviously!” Lydia blurted. “We can’t stay here, we don’t know anything about the last decade. We’re at least still in ‘no Olympics’ land, since everyone here is alive.” 

“Hold on. Don’t assume that.’ Stiles muttered. 

Scott held both hands up and waved them, shaking his head. “Hang on,” he breathed out. “I’m - very confused and I feel kind of sick and I don’t like it. What - what changed? What were we doing a second ago that did…” He flailed his hands again. “This?”

“I don’t know!” Stiles shook his head. “Wait. Are we all from the same time? I was in the woods, talking to you and Allison. Step-siblings.” 

Scott nodded, furrowing his brows. “That’s where - yeah. It’s me, I was there, too.”

“I was on my way. I guess that means it wasn’t a proximity thing. Allison would have known something was wrong.” Lydia murmured. “Can we get out of here?” 

“I don’t know if I even live in the same house we were at.” Stiles opened his wallet, eyeing his ID. “Okay, let’s try my apartment, which is apparently in Derek’s building? Maybe I have supplies there.” 

Scott furrowed his brow, nodding. “Derek’s building.” He murmured, frowning. “When did Derek get a building?”

“What the fuck?” Stiles stared at Scott. “Um, it’s the one he had before? He got it again.” 

“Don’t dwell on it, let’s just go.” Lydia walked toward the lot, frowning. “I don’t even know how we got here.” 

“It’s like, six blocks. Just walk.” Stiles sighed when Lydia looked down at her shoes, then back up at him. 

Scott looked over at her, and then turned his back toward her, hunching down slightly. “Hop on?”

Lydia got on Scott’s back, looping her arms around his shoulders. “Thank you.” She murmured. “I don’t understand how we got here, though.” 

“I don’t either.” Scott murmured, hooking his hands under Lydia’s knees and hitching her up a bit higher on his back. “I really didn’t remember Derek’s building.” He muttered. “Derek told me about his building. He told me that he owned it.” He frowned. “I guess a lot of my original memories decided to make a break for it.”

“That’s really not a good sign.” Lydia frowned. “We both remember everything about that, just not the time we skipped over.” 

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed, walking a little ahead of Scott. He turned to face his friends. “I want to save the Hales again, but I think we can’t get the adults involved, this time.” 

“So just Laura, Derek and Cora?” Scott asked, furrowing his brows. 

“Not even them.” Stiles shook his head. “We’re not telling anyone. We keep it a secret. We’ll go back to a few days before the fire, like I meant to in the first place. That’ll give us enough time to stop Kate Argent and her cronies.” 

Scott nodded. “A few days before she does it should definitely be enough time.” He agreed.

Lydia eyed the building that Stiles led them to. “And you know which apartment is yours?” 

“It’s listed on my license and...” Stiles opened the door of the building, gesturing inside. “On my mailbox.” He walked down the hall, stopping at his apartment door and fumbling with his keys until he found the right one. 

Scott could feel a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’m trying to come to terms with you having a legitimate apartment, dude.” He murmured, looking around the hallway.

“It looks like you’re the only one who lives in it.” Lydia remarked, eyeing the clothes scattered around the living room when they were inside, a few seconds later. “But you’re twenty-nine, so that’s not necessarily a good thing.” 

Stiles rolled his eyes and went into his bedroom, searching through his dresser and closet until he found a box of supplies. “Don’t judge me, I had no say in this.” 

“Maybe someone stays here with him sometimes.” Scott suggested. “Like… maybe he’s got a secret hook-up that none of us know about that visits and stays the night.”

“I doubt it.” Lydia scoffed. 

Stiles flipped her off as he finished setting up what he needed to transport them back in time. 

Scott nudged Lydia, his lips twitching faintly.

“What?” Lydia whispered, shrugging. “He can’t keep a secret from you to save his life.” 

“Yeah, he could.” Scott murmured. He shrugged his own shoulders. “I’m not bothered about it or anything. I kept secrets from him, too. But he doesn’t suck at keeping secrets, so he actually can keep them from me. Or anyone.”

“So you actually think he was seeing someone and just never told you?” Lydia protested. “Not likely.” 

Stiles eyed them warily and threw a bag down into the center of the circle that separated him from Scott and Lydia.


	3. Another Try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles decides that running away is his best option.

The first thing Stiles did when the smoke cleared and he was back in his childhood bedroom was check the date and time on the tv. It was two thousand-five. He ran to the computer to look up ‘Olympics,’ sighing in relief when it actually gave search results. He called Scott first, since that was his primary instinct whenever something was going wrong, and he doubted that would ever change. “Okay, I made it. Please tell me you made it, too.” 

“Yeah, I made it.” Scott groaned, sitting up from the floor. “I definitely did not stick that landing. Apparently I was on the bed, and I fell right the hell off.”

Stiles laughed, then stopped abruptly. “Oh, right. Not a werewolf. We’re in Olympics-reality.” 

“Yeah, yup. Really feeling that reality right now.” Scott sighed. “Okay. We should - we should get started as soon as possible. I don’t wanna leave anything to chance.”

“Right. Okay. I’ll call Lydia. You should meet us at my house. We’ll make a plan here and get started on it.” Stiles tapped his fingers on the counter he was leaning against. “I’ll see you soon.” 

“I’ll be there.” Scott agreed. “I’ll see you soon.” He hung up the phone quickly. He hurriedly got up and got dressed, grimacing a little at the clothes he was wearing, and then made his way down the stairs and out the door to his bike. It was harder than he remembered, now that he had his asthma back (again), and it took him much longer than he would’ve liked to get to Stiles’, but he made it, dropping his bike on the front lawn and letting himself into the house.

Stiles waved a hand at Scott, then gestured to where Lydia was standing near him, both of them studying a map of Beacon Hills. “Okay. I was thinking about this before we did this, anyway. Derek’s probably already been seduced by Kate Argent, and one of us needs to do something about that. It would be ignored if I called it in to the police, even anonymously. Trust me, they know me. And I don’t want to tell Talia, because I’m worried that she’ll just put herself in danger to save Derek. Peter might actually be our only hope, but I don’t want to tell him, either. He might blame us somehow, if it goes wrong. We really have to do this ourselves.” 

“Then we need to corner Derek and talk to him, alone. We don’t have to tell him that we’re from the future or anything, we can just say that we know she’s a hunter.” Lydia hesitated. “Right?” 

“I don’t know, I don’t think he’ll listen. He wasn’t so great at listening when he was a teenager, either time we knew him as one.” Stiles sighed. “Scott?” 

Scott rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I think… I think that he’s all about trust with the people he knows. He has no reason to trust us right now. He doesn’t know us. We’ve gotta win him over somehow, but the only thing I can think of doing to gain his trust is… kind of shady?” He looked between Stiles and Lydia. “I mean, to a degree it is. I think we have to ‘catch’ Kate talking about her plans. I just… don’t know how.”

“I do.” Lydia turned toward Stiles. “Derek always trusts you, somehow. I think if you just convinced him to stay close and listen, he’d hear her talking to someone.” 

“The bar!” Stiles blurted. “She asked Harris how to set a fire that wouldn’t leave a trace.” 

Scott nodded in encouragement. “And she’s probably calling in all kinds of favors from the guys that Peter killed the first time around, the ones around town now. Garrison Myers, and the rest. She’s gotta be in constant communication with them.” He furrowed his brows. “She’s gotta be talking to somebody else, though. Someone has to know that she’s going after the Hales, that she’s using Derek to do it. It wouldn’t be Chris, I don’t think it would even be Victoria. She wouldn’t tell Harris that she’s planning on killing the Hales.” He looked at Stiles. “What if she was calling her dad with her plans the whole time? What if we could catch her calling Gerard, giving him progress reports, and Derek hears it?”

“One thing at a time.” Lydia smiled. “We’ll deal with Gerard when we have to.” She glanced at Stiles. “Go get Derek and try to reason with him. Scott and I will stop Garrison Meyers and the others.” 

Scott nodded. “I can totally do the innocent, sad-eyed kid thing. Maybe if Meyers caves, and the other guys have hearts, Lyds and I can completely eliminate Kate’s team before she gets very far at all.”

“We’ve got about fifty-six hours to do this.” Stiles licked his lips, squinting. He went into his room and came back with walkie-talkies. “Here. If you run into trouble, alert me somehow. I’ll call my dad. I don’t care, I’ll figure it out.” 

Scott nodded and grabbed the walkie. “We’re gonna get it done, Stiles.” He assured his best friend. “We’ll do it. We’re gonna save them.”

Stiles smiled. He hugged his friends, then walked outside to get his bike and ride around in an effort to find Derek. 

Scott watched him go, then took a deep breath and looked at Lydia. “Let’s go.” He murmured.

***

Derek stared at his phone with a deep frown on his face, looking irritated and puzzled at the same time. He didn’t understand why Kate hadn’t been answering his messages - normally when they texted, there were quick responses, almost rapid fire like she was sitting on her phone, waiting for him to message her. So far, she’d been quiet, for hours. Looking around with a sigh, he shoved his phone in his pocket and sat down on the short stone wall outside of the library, watching the people who passed by.

Stiles grinned in relief and hopped off his bike, putting the kickstand down and walking over to Derek. His smile faded when he remembered why he was there. “Hi.” 

Derek looked up and raised his eyebrows. “Um. Hi?” He squinted at Stiles. “Can I help you?”

“No, but I can help you.” Stiles murmured. “You’re dating somebody, right? Someone you don’t want your mom to know about?” 

Derek stiffened and straightened, staring at Stiles hard. “How do you know that?” He asked quietly.

“I know it upsets you that I know. I don’t want to tell you how I know. I just want you to come with me. I want you to hear something.” Stiles knew it was a long shot to think that Kate would be talking to Harris at the bar right now, but he had a gut feeling that even if she wasn’t there, Derek would know where to find her. 

Derek frowned deeply, looking uncertain. “Hear what?” He asked quietly, even as he slid off of the wall and slowly moved to stand beside Stiles.

“I can’t tell you that.” Stiles sighed. “I know I’m really not giving you a reason to listen to me. Okay. Do you believe in fate?” 

Derek gave it a legitimate moment of thought before giving the boy in front of him a single nod.

“Well, then. I’m fated to stop you from making a mistake in this relationship of yours.” Stiles explained. “Think of me as being like, the Ghost of Christmas Present. Just... not a ghost and not at Christmas.” 

Snorting, Derek stared at Stiles in amusement. “Okay?” He said slowly, and then shook his head. “Alright. I’ll… buy it for now. Show me where I need to go to stop this mistake I’m going to make.”

Stiles nodded and locked his bike to the rack, then motioned for Derek to follow him a few blocks away, to the bar. He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Is her car here? Do you smell her or hear her?” 

Derek frowned, concentrating. He squinted at the bar, and then searched the parking lot, his expression faltering a little. He nodded slowly and looked at Stiles. “What… what is she doing here?”

“She’s trying to get information.” Stiles looked around for Harris’ car, even though he doubted he would see it. When he found it, he sighed in relief. “Okay. This guy is a science teacher. Hey, do you have him?” 

“Harris?” Derek started in disbelief. “No, definitely not. My sister does, though. And… there are rumors all the way back to elementary school about what he’s like.”

“Right.” Stiles murmured. “Well, your girlfriend,” he used air quotes, “is talking to drunken Harris about successfully committing arson. And he’s eager to have her attention, so he’ll tell her anything.” 

“Arson.” Derek repeated flatly, and then shook his head. “Wait. Why… why is she talking to him about arson? And succeeding at it?” His voice shifted, becoming noticeably smaller. His eyes flitted back toward the bar uncertainly.

“I think you’re smart enough to put that together, yourself.” Stiles pointed out. “What do you want to do about it?” 

Clenching his fists together, Derek took a deep breath and licked his lips. “I need to hear more.” He said. “First, I need to hear more. And then…” He swallowed hard, looking sick to his stomach. “And then I need to tell my mom.”

“Yeah. Just do me a favor?” Stiles smiled grimly. “Don’t mention me. Say you were going to tell her something and you heard her talking, while you waited.” 

Derek frowned, but nodded slowly. “Less people involved in this, the better, anyway.” He swallowed again, looking away. “My mom’s going to want proof. She’ll get it. And then once she has it, she’s going to demand justice. It’s better for everyone around if she thinks it was just me involved in this.”

“Okay.” Stiles nodded. “I should go get my bike and get home. But I’ll wait for you. I don’t want to leave you by yourself.” 

Derek exhaled softly, nodding. “Thanks.” He mumbled. Hesitantly, he approached the side door of the bar, and turned to lean back against the wall, listening silently. He winced, cringed and looked sick multiple times as he stood there, and by the time he walked away, his face was a picture of abject misery - and beneath it, roiling anger and determination. “Let’s go.” He muttered. “I’ve heard enough.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Stiles agreed, walking back toward the library. He glanced over at Derek a few times. “Hey, I know you’re feeling like crap right now, but... it could have been a lot worse. Okay?” 

The ideas of how worse things could have ended up ran through Derek’s mind, and he shuddered. “Yeah.” He mumbled. “Thanks, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.” Stiles made a face. “Uh, I guess? I just wanted to help. Do you need to call your mom and have her come get you?” 

“No.” Derek murmured. “I can just run.” He rubbed at his eyes. “This is going to suck.” He added, sighing.

“Yeah, a little. But I’ll make sure you at least get to your house.” Stiles unlocked his bike and wheeled it toward Derek before he climbed on. “Come on. You run, I’ll ride.” 

Derek glanced at him, looking faintly amused. “Sure.” He murmured, and started to jog carefully, glancing sideways at Stiles. “What is your name again?”

“Why?” Stiles blurted. “Why is that important?” 

“Uh… it’s not?” Derek looked taken aback. “I was just curious.”

Stiles thought for a minute as he rode along. If he told Derek a lie, it wouldn’t make a difference, since Stiles wasn’t going to just disappear. “Stiles.” He said finally. “It’s a nickname.” 

“Stiles.” Derek repeated, blinking a little. “Okay. Nice to meet you, Stiles.” He glanced sideways at the boy. “Thanks for saving my ass even though you didn’t really have to.”

“No, trust me. I had to.” Stiles murmured. “It was the right thing to do.” He turned his head to look at Derek again. “You’re what, thirteen?” 

Derek nodded. “I’ll be fourteen soon, though.” ‘Soon’ was in eight months, but that didn’t matter to him.

“I’m ten.” Stiles smiled. “But I have a feeling I’ll be in school with you, soon enough. I’m going to get skipped ahead.” 

“You must be really smart, then.” Derek smiled wryly. “Smart enough to keep me from doing something colossally stupid. I was going to invite her over to the house tonight.” He shuddered.

“Yeah, definitely do not do that.” Stiles said quickly. “Okay. Don’t invite her over, ever. Don’t listen to any excuse she has. She’s evil. One hundred percent evil.” 

“I heard.” Derek said quietly. “She got off the phone with someone, after she finished with Harris. She laughed when she talked about me. What she’d gotten me to do.”

“Well, she won’t be able to do anything to you now.” Stiles nodded. He eyed the road ahead of them. “We’ve got what, another mile to your house?” 

“About that, yeah.” Derek murmured, and glanced at him again. “You don’t have to keep going with me.”

“Honestly? I don’t want to end up leaving and finding out that she’s been driving her car over here, and that she’ll end up getting to you before you can get home. I feel like, as long as I keep going this way with you, I can at least do something, if she does show up.” 

Derek glanced away, furrowing his brows together and frowning. He jogged silently for a few more seconds before he murmured, “Okay. Just… stay out of sight of the house. The end of the driveway, at least. My - um, my mom’s gonna be able to tell you’re there, otherwise.”

“Right.” Stiles came to a stop before they got to the driveway. “You go ahead, I’ll just wait here until you’re in the house.” 

Derek nodded at Stiles, continuing to jog up the driveway of the house, giving a brief wave until he was out of sight.

Stiles rode his bike back toward town, carefully balancing as he used his walkie-talkie. “Hey, how’s it going?” 

Scott’s voice was crackly as he responded. “Not as well as I’d hoped. Meyers is out of town, though, so at least there’s that.”

“I got Derek to listen to Harris’ conversation with Kate.” Stiles reported back. “And then I made sure he got home all right. He said he’d tell his mom. I can’t verify that he did, but based on his facial expressions, I’m gonna go with yes.”

Scott grimaced. “Whatever he heard must’ve been bad.” He commented, then shook his head. “Should we group up?” He asked. “To find the other arsonists?”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured. “I don’t remember the names of all of them. I know Garrison Meyers was the bus driver, right? And the video store clerk, whatever his name is.” 

Scott grimaced. “Yeah, I can’t remember his name, either.” He hesitated, and glanced at Lydia. “You don’t happen to remember it, do you?”

“No, but we know where he is.” Lydia pointed out, sighing in frustration. “The other two guys were Unger and Reddick.” 

“It’s not like those are common last names. We’ll find them.” Stiles murmured. “Meet me at the video store.” 

“We’ll be there.” Scott replied. “See you in a bit.” He shoved the walkie into his back pocket, holding his hand out to Lydia.

Lydia smiled and took Scott’s hand, walking toward the video store with him. “I think we need to let things play out instead of rushing through it all, like we did before. I’d like to have Allison here sooner, but I don’t know if that’s the best idea, anymore. We got to try it out over there, wherever there truly was. I just want to prevent Kate Argent from hurting the Hales, then we’ll decide our next move. With careful planning.” She sighed. “I don’t even know how old we are, anymore. It’s a little exhausting.” 

Scott rubbed at his eyes with his other hand. “I think we’re eleven?” He frowned. “Or ten? I don’t know. But yeah, I think… I think you’re right. Maybe… Maybe just keeping Allison away from Beacon Hills, or doing whatever we can to make sure she never gets here is just… smarter. Safer for her.”

“I meant...” Lydia shook her head. “Nevermind, Scott. You really don’t want Allison anywhere near here, this time around?” 

Scott swallowed roughly. “I want her safe.” He said softly. “However that happens, I’m in favor of it.”

“Then why don’t we just get everyone to move?” Lydia snorted. “Turn this town into a ghost town and leave it as abandoned as the Riders wanted it to be.” 

Scott blinked, staring straight ahead. “That’s… can we actually do that? The Hales would have to find new territory. Our parents would have to find new jobs.” He shifted. “Maybe it could be doable, though. How do you decommission a Nemeton so it stops… um, beacon-ing?”

“I wasn’t serious.” Lydia murmured. “Let’s just hurry and get to the video store.” 

“Aw.” Scott pouted, but nodded and squeezed Lydia’s hand gently as he continued walking.

“I get that you want everyone to be safe and away from here.” Lydia glanced at Scott. “But it’s a little extreme to think we can somehow convince ten thousand people, roughly, to move away from this town.” 

Scott made a face. “I know. I just… I’m sick of losing people, you know? If I actually could convince everyone to leave Beacon Hills and I know that they’d do it? I’d totally run around town telling everyone to peace out.”

“Scott.” Stiles spoke up, getting off of his bike. “Convincing everyone to either leave Beacon Hills or never come to it is as good as losing them.” 

Scott looked over at Stiles, frowning. “They’d be out of here, at least.” He said, and then shook his head. “It’s a moot point. It wouldn’t ever happen, anyway.” He looked up at the building, squinting a little.

“Don’t assume.” Stiles put his bike in the rack, outside the video store. He turned toward his friends. “Listen. If you think that the best hope we have is to get everyone out of here, then let’s just do that.” 

“Okay.” Lydia shook her head, frowning. “How would we even do that?” 

“Slowly.” Stiles smiled. “We start by getting the schools shut down, so that kids have to take the bus or be driven to other towns. That’ll inspire their parents to look for houses outside of Beacon Hills. We get the Hales to build a retirement community outside of here, and get the older citizens moved into it by making it affordable.” He paused, thinking. “Eichen House should probably stay, but the police station could be relocated. And we uproot the Nemeton and get it out of here. Throw it in the ocean or something, I don’t care. It’ll take years to get everyone to leave, but we’ll do what we have to do. We could speed things up, actually, by having the water declared undrinkable. But that’s a risk.” 

“Let’s hold off on that.” Lydia sighed. “Honestly, you two... I don’t know if any of this is the right solution. I think we’re better off protecting the town and the people in it, not frightening them out of it.” 

Scott fidgeted. “Could we at least do the thing with the Nemeton? Or at least heal it or something so stupid stuff stops happening here?”

“There’s no healing it.” Stiles protested. “It’s a tree that was imbued with magic by druids, we’re going to have to uproot it.” 

“Okay!” Lydia snapped. “I regret coming back here. I think I should go home.” 

“No, no, no,” Scott protested. “I’m sorry I brought it up, I’m done, I swear.”

“I don’t want to make everyone leave.” Lydia shook her head. “Find another way.” 

“Okay.” Scott said quietly, nodding. “We’ll find another way.”

Stiles eyed both of them, silently contemplating what was going on. “Okay. Lydia, go in there and say you have to pee, then sneak into the office and look at the caller ID on the guy’s phone. Check filing cabinets. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy who knows how to avoid a paper trail. He’ll have some kind of evidence in there. I’ll see if I can get him to trip up, somehow. Maybe he’ll say something incriminating.” He smiled. “Scott, if my plan doesn’t work, you fake an asthma attack as far from the counter as you can get, and I’ll look up any rentals that these hunter guys have made in the past couple of months. Maybe there’ll be something there, you know? Some kind of... leverage? Proof that they were researching arson? Nobody ever really just knows how to start fires. And Kate Argent had to pull their names from somewhere. Which might mean checking police records, too.” 

Scott nodded in agreement. “I can do that.” He said, and then looked at Lydia. “Good luck.”

Lydia smiled back at Scott. “Thanks. You too.” She went into the video store and over to the counter, speaking quietly to the owner before she took the bathroom key and walked past the rows of movies, to the back hallway. 

Stiles waited ten seconds after Lydia got the key, then went into the store and grabbed Firestarter from a shelf, carrying it over to the counter. “Excuse me. Is this any good?” 

The guy scoffed at Stiles. “It’s great, but you’re too young to rent it.” He took the dvd from Stiles and put it back on the shelf. “Where the hell are your parents?” 

“My mom’s dead.” Stiles snapped, telling himself to feel guilty later, he had a point to prove. 

Scott stepped into the store, looking around and glancing sideways at Stiles before heading toward the middle of the store. He kept listening quietly, waiting to hear if anything was going sideways. He hoped that Lydia was having some success.

Lydia used the printer to get evidence of emails that had gone between the store owner and ‘k_argent83’, which made her roll her eyes. “Everyone is inept at their jobs.” She muttered, folding the papers and putting them under her shirt. She wrapped an arm around her waist and went into the bathroom, smiling to herself as she threw a roll of toilet paper into the toilet, flushing it and walking back out to hand the owner the key. “Thank you.” She walked outside, waiting by Stiles’ bike. 

Scott poked his head around one of the shelves and caught Stiles’ eyes, raising his eyebrows at the other boy, before bobbing his head toward the door.

Stiles nodded. He motioned for Scott to go ahead, then wandered through the store, rearranging movies and cases as he walked around, before he went back outside. “I gave him something to keep him busy in the front room.” He explained, unlocking his bike from the rack. “What did you find?” 

“Emails.” Lydia handed some of them to Scott and the rest to Stiles. “There’s no real way we can get this to anyone as evidence, to get them arrested. But we can use it, ourselves.” 

“So we can’t even give it to the Hales or Stiles’ dad as anonymous evidence?” Scott asked, furrowing his brows together in confusion.

“Nope.” Stiles sighed. “Because we got it illegally.” He explained. “So we’ll have to figure out a way to get them into trouble, without admitting what we did. Otherwise, it’s inadmissible. What we could do is leave the emails in the guy’s car and smash his tail lights, to get him pulled over.” He smiled. “And then we’d probably have to plant something else in the car, for reasonable suspicion.” 

Scott raised his eyebrows. “What exactly are we planting, and where are we getting it from?”

“I don’t know, pick a criminal?” Stiles snorted. “It would help if there was some kind of pill bottle, too. But marijuana is all over the place.” 

“The store closes in three hours.” Lydia pointed to the sign. “We have to find a way to break into his trunk, disconnect the tail light instead of smashing it, and go get the things to put in his car, if we’re going to do this.” 

“We’ll probably have to split up, then.” Scott commented. “I don’t know how to disconnect tail lights, or how to break into the trunk, but I can at least help get the stuff to stash in his car?”

“I’ll take care of the car.” Lydia waved a hand at them. “Go get everything else.” 

Stiles got on his bike, motioning for Scott to get on the handlebars. “Come on.” 

Scott huffed a laugh and hopped up onto the handlebars. “Let’s go.”

***

Later that night, Stiles paced as he listened to his dad’s police radio. He had given Lydia a third walkie-talkie, to make sure that all of them could communicate at times that they couldn’t have sleepovers. His ten year old body got tired earlier than he had hoped, but he had made himself a cup of coffee and was staying on his feet to keep himself awake as he waited for the video store owner to get arrested. 

“Dispatch,” John’s voice eventually came over the radio. “This is Deputy Stilinski. Have Kowalski prep a cell, I’m bringing someone in on suspicion of intended arson with the intent to murder.”

Stiles fist-pumped and picked up the walkie-talkie. “Two down.” He reported to his friends. “We’ll wait until tomorrow morning to see if Garrison Meyers and the others got tied to the arson, too. If not, we’ll have to brainstorm a way to get them busted for it. I’m surprised I haven’t heard anything about Allison’s aunt getting picked up for statutory rape or anything. But maybe they’ll get her on attempted arson.” 

“They’ll get her. Those papers we put inside the video guy’s car have Kate’s email address on them. It won’t take long for anyone to take one look at them, see ‘Argent’ and come knocking at Kate’s door.” Scott assured him.

“Assuming that the house she has is in her name.” Lydia added. “But I think she’s just arrogant enough that it will be. If nothing else, they’ll run her name and find her registered vehicle, and go from there. It’ll be taken care of, Stiles. Don’t worry.” She paused. “Let’s just plan what we’re doing next.” 

“Right now?” Stiles laughed softly. “I’m going to sleep. You two should do the same thing. We have school tomorrow. How are we handling that? Because I think getting ourselves moved ahead is a good idea here, too.” He sat down on his bed and yawned, then started speaking again. “Not too much, I don’t think. Not anything that will have us drawing too much attention to ourselves or having us sent off to college before we turn eleven. But getting into middle school with Derek wouldn’t be the worst thing.” 

“I’m for it.” Scott yawned. “I’m for all of it, honestly. Especially sleep.”

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow, at school.” Lydia murmured. “Is there anything else we need to talk about, tonight?” 

“Uh, everything?” Stiles protested. “But yeah, it can all wait. Good night.” He turned his walkie-talkie off and went through the house, cleaning up and loading the dishwasher. 

John was home about an hour and a half later, rubbing at his eyes as he entered the house and tossed his keys in the bowl on the table by the door. He headed up to the living room, sighing. “Kiddo? You up?” He called quietly.

“Yeah.” Stiles admitted, walking out of his bedroom. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah. Maybe.” John shook his head. “I don’t know. C’mere.” He held his arms out for a hug, sighing as he wrapped them around Stiles’ thin shoulders.

Stiles hugged his dad. “What happened?” 

“It’s about to be a part of a huge investigation.” John started, running a gentle hand over the top of Stiles’ head. “So I can’t say too much, but… it turns out that there’s someone in town that was conspiring to take out the Hale family.”

“Oh.” Stiles was grateful that he was exhausted. He didn’t think he could look suspicious to his dad with his eyes half-closed. “That sucks.” 

“Yeah, it does.” John murmured. “And it could’ve sucked a lot more.” He pulled back and peered at his son, smiling faintly and letting out a small laugh. “Come on, buddy. You look dead on your feet. Let’s get you to bed, hmm?”

“Yeah.” Stiles agreed. “G’night.” 

“Good night, Stiles.” John pulled him in quickly for another hug. “I love you, kiddo.”

“I love you, too.” Stiles smiled and went to bed, relieved that he had saved the Hales without having to tell them anything. 

John watched him go, exhaling softly. With the impending arrest of Kate Argent and her associates, he felt like he could rest easy. It was mind blowing to think that someone could have it out for the Hales, just because. If anything would have gone wrong, they could have been gone in the blink of an eye, and it just made him want to lock Stiles up to keep him safe from the rest of the world.

***

The next morning, Stiles locked up his bike at the rack and ran into the building, going to the cafeteria to look for Scott and Lydia. He sat down across from them and smiled. “We did it. The store clerk’s name was Leveque, if you care. They got him and Kate Argent. Garrison Meyers is still out of town, but there’s an APB. I think by the time we get done with school today,” he yawned, “the whole ring will be apprehended.” 

Lydia nudged Scott. “He’s talking like he’s already a cop.” She smiled across the table at her best friend and one-time stepbrother. 

“Technically, we’re twenty-nine.” Stiles remarked, rubbing his eyes. “I had about two hours from the time I said good night to you guys, until my dad got home. And I couldn’t sleep. So I thought more about how we were sixteen and then suddenly we were twenty-nine. See, we went back to when we were six, right?” He put his index finger down on the table like he was indicating a point on a timeline. “And then we went through all of the years, to age sixteen. So nineteen, plus ten, is twenty-nine.” 

“I don’t think we need a math lesson of that caliber.” Lydia teased. “Where’s this going?” 

“I just think that the flashing forward thing was to get us back on track to where we were supposed to be. We probably screwed that up by coming back here, but you know... I don’t think we belonged there, anyway. That wasn’t our reality. It was more like a practice run for this. We have a clearer idea now of what needs to be done and we’re older, in both respects. We’re allegedly less likely to screw it up. So if you guys want to keep Allison away from here and let her have her life, that’s fine. We’re still going to be like the Adjustment Bureau, only not evil, and fix all of the things that went wrong, before they go wrong.” 

Scott glanced at Lydia speculatively, chewing his lower lip. “What do you think? About Ally? I’m good with everything else, but I just… Part of me really wants to keep Allison away for her safety, and part of me really just wants her to be here.”

“Let’s wait and see if we need her to be here.” Lydia mused. “I don’t know. Maybe her knowing you makes her more sympathetic toward werewolves. A world where you two never meet might be dangerous.” 

Scott thought about it, and then shuddered. “You’re right. If she’d never met me - any of us - Gerard and Kate could definitely have screwed her up.” He swallowed, remembering the small glimpse they had all gotten of the type of person Allison could have been, just from a few weeks under her grandfather’s influence. “I don’t want that to happen to her.”

“Neither do I.” Stiles murmured. “So let’s figure out how we can get her here.” 

Scott fidgeted. “Well… they came here last time because they heard about a feral alpha, didn’t they?” He asked, furrowing his brows.

“Yes, but there actually was one.” Stiles pointed out. “Unless you plan on setting Peter on fire and somehow reviving him in six years, that’s not going to work. And it’s a horrible plan, anyway. Let’s just make sure that Peter knows about his triplets and maybe slip Argent information into my dad’s rolodex, so that when he needs more guns or ammunition, he’ll call Chris.” 

“Oh, right. Yeah, no, that’s a much better idea.” Scott sputtered, looking vaguely embarrassed.

Lydia laughed softly. “I’m not interested in hiding my intelligence ever again, so I’m still not doing that. Other than that and how to get Allison here, I think we’ve covered everything.” 

“The betas.” Stiles muttered. “Erica and Boyd and Isaac. Matt hasn’t had his near death thing happen yet, that’s next year. We’ll have to stop that from happening, too. Probably call my dad the second underage drinking starts, at Isaac’s house.” 

“So we still need to make sure that we reach out to Isaac.” Scott nodded. “And then… um, invite Matt whenever they actually start hanging out with each other.”

“Or we get the little psycho committed.” Stiles muttered, looking from Scott to Lydia. “No? Fine.” 

Scott squeezed Stiles’ shoulder. “He might have been really different if what had happened to him hadn’t happened. We’ve at least gotta try.”

“Fine, but if he pisses me off, I’m pretty much literally throwing him at Theo and letting them fight to the death.” Stiles snorted. 

Scott grinned. “Yeah, I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“So, what are we doing today, then?” Lydia smiled as the bell rang. She stood up, pulling her backpack straps on over her shoulders. 

“Trying not to fall asleep, mostly.” Stiles shrugged. “At least we’re not starting off with coloring.” 

“Could be worse.” Scott laughed softly. “We could be focusing on our ABCs.”

“Oh god.” Stiles snorted. “Let’s just get to class and figure out if we really want to sit through another eight years of this crap, or if we want to get ourselves moved ahead, again. Maybe the three of us can be in some kind of specialized class of our own or something.” 

“Can we actually do that?” Scott asked, furrowing his brows. “Maybe it’d be easier if we could get someone to homeschool us. “At least until we officially get to high school?”

“Or the whole time.” Stiles mused. “Since we’d be about twelve year old seniors, otherwise. I’m serious about this, if we end up doing self-paced work, Lydia will be in college before she hits puberty, and you and I will graduate when we’re thirteen or fourteen, and that’s just because I know we’ll slack off.” 

“Not if I don’t let you.” Lydia smiled. “First thing, though? We need to actually go to our classes today.” 

“If we must.” Scott teased her, reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder. “Come on.”

***

By the end of the day, Stiles had taken a placement exam, along with Scott and Lydia, to prove that they had a higher intelligence level than fifth grade. They wouldn’t know the results until the next day, but he felt excited about telling his dad that he would possibly be taking high school courses. He waited impatiently at the bike rack for Scott. 

Scott wandered out of the school and made his way toward the bike rack, looking up and smiling at Stiles as he got closer. “Hey. How do you feel about today, then? This is the first time I’ve ever felt this confident about school.” He paused. “At my current age.”

Stiles laughed and hugged Scott. “I think that the three of us being in one class together is going to help me focus more than having to sit still while everyone else catches up.” 

Scott beamed and hugged Stiles back. “Yeah, we can irritate everyone else that’s actually trying to do their work.” He laughed.

“No?” Stiles pulled back to look at Scott. “We’ll be in our own classroom. Just the three of us.” 

“So that means we can’t still irritate other people?” Scott asked. “I mean, it won’t be in the same classroom, but we can still screw with people, right?”

“Sure, at lunch, I guess.” Stiles laughed. “But if we’re going to be at the high school, I don’t recommend that? I mean, we’d literally be shoved into our own lockers. Not like I’ve never dealt with that.” 

Scott made a face. “Just once, I kinda wish that we’d be the top of the pyramid in school. Without having to, you know, get bitten or whatever. I mean, just as we are, without having to be… more.”

“I just don’t think it would work that way.” Stiles shrugged. He wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere, so he watched as other students unlocked their bikes and rode off. “But at least if the three of us are in our own class, we won’t have to deal with it from other kids. Or teens. Like... there will probably be a teacher who can just cover all of our subjects. Maybe Peter could even do that.” 

“Yeah, maybe. I think I remember from the last time that he’s got a teaching degree.” Scott nodded. 

“Well, yeah, except that wasn’t this Peter.” Stiles mused. “Allison’s parents got divorced, instead of Victoria dying. So maybe there are other differences here? I mean, we don’t really know anything about Peter, before the fire. We only knew him after and we only talked to him to get information that he wasn’t even willing to give us. Not accurately, I mean. So... the thing is, I don’t want to go ask him. It would be weird to do that, now. To just show up at his house and ask him to do that, you know?”

Scott’s shoulders slumped a little, and he sighed, nodding. “Yeah, that’s true. I don’t know, man. I don’t know if I can take this being another universe again. I really hope it’s not.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not.” Stiles assured Scott. “I already looked up the Olympics and they’re a thing. My mom is dead, your dad and mom are divorced, and Lydia’s parents are still married.” 

Scott nodded slowly. “Okay.” He frowned deeply, reaching out to squeeze Stiles’ shoulder. “I’m sorry about your mom.” He said quietly. 

“Thanks.” Stiles murmured. “Do you want to come with me to the station? My dad should still be there, or might’ve even just gone in.” 

“Okay.” Scott agreed. “Are we waiting for Lyds, or is she going straight home?”

“She takes the bus.” Stiles gestured to where the buses were starting to pull out of the parking lot. “But we can talk to her later, I’m sure.” 

Scott followed his gaze, blinking at himself. “Okay. How didn’t I know that?”

“Because you have never been as hyper-aware of her as I used to be?” Stiles smiled. “It’s kind of weird now, you know? She’s like a slightly-younger sister.” 

“Oh god.” Scott laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to see Allison in a romantic way ever again. My mom and Chris just had to fall into a relationship.” He paused, his brows furrowing. “Twice.”

“Well, that just means that it’s going to keep happening, right? My dad was going to date Lydia’s mom before, too. But it didn’t work out because Tracy the nutbar interrupted things.” Stiles frowned. “Hey, if we’re all one big pack, does that mean that we should welcome those weirdos in, this time? I don’t like her. She’s so... uh, what’s a nice word for ‘does whatever she’s told,’ henchman?” 

“Yesman?” Scott suggested. “Or, yeswoman, I guess? Or brainless? Brainless could be meaner. I don’t know if we should welcome them or not. I welcomed Theo in and he killed me. Or tried. I mean, I know he was different at the end, but…” He sighed. “I just, I don’t want to take any more chances than absolutely necessary. I want to change things and see how things turn out, but… how much change is too much?”

“If we somehow get flying cars becoming a thing, we’ll just go back in time again.” Stiles teased. “Don’t worry about Theo. He, Malia and Jackson will be Hales again here, and they’ll be part of the Hale pack. That’s probably something else we need to do, you know? Find a way to let Peter know that he has kids.” 

Scott huffed a laugh. “It worked pretty well last time. I guess if we don’t want to outright involve ourselves with the Hales, beyond Derek or Cora, the only thing we can really do is find a way for Peter to meet them. He’ll be able to smell them, I think. He could figure things out from there and get Talia to give him his memories back.”

“Shit.” Stiles blurted, not bothering to censor himself because almost everyone else was gone. “Theo’s already killed Tara, and Malia had her car accident two years ago. Now what?” 

Scott straightened in shock. “Oh, no.” He muttered, rubbing his hands over his face. “I don’t know. Malia, I mean, Malia might be simple, but… If Theo’s already killed Tara, then… the Doctors have him. I don’t know what to do.”

Stiles sat down on the curb, crossing his legs and resting his chin on his fists, his elbows on his knees. “Okay. What if we aren’t too late? We don’t know when Theo did that, we only know that it was after fourth grade. We’re in fifth grade, now. There might still be time? It’s winter. Winter is when he kills her, to get her heart for a transplant.” He frowned. “I don’t think he actually needed the transplant. Did he? I mean, he’s a chimera. Or no, wait. He became a chimera because of the transplant. I need to call Peter from a payphone.” 

Scott’s head was spinning, and he sat down next to Stiles, putting his head between his knees. “What are you gonna say to him?” He asked softly.

“I’ll tell him that he has three kids and he needs to stop one from doing something terrible, then I’ll give him Theo’s address. It might not work, but I think it will.” Stiles sighed. “I mean, it’s a better option than calling my dad. Otherwise, I could just call, talk to Derek and tell him to hurry up. Peter will probably be more likely to listen to Derek, anyway.” 

“Well, Derek did listen to you about Kate. Like, right away.” Scott pointed out. “You could tell Derek that…” He frowned, thinking. “Um… that you met someone that kinda looks like - no, you know, Derek believed you outright about Kate, so maybe just telling the straight up truth about Peter’s kids would just be smarter.”

“Yeah.” Stiles stood up and finally unlocked his bike, wheeling it backward from the rack. “I’ll call from the station. Maybe my dad’s cell phone? We’re short on time, we have to hurry now.” 

Scott nodded, grabbing his own bike and hopping on. “Yeah, definitely. Let’s get going.”

Stiles hurriedly rode his bike to the station, locking it to a lamp post near the building. He ran over to the door and opened it, waiting for Scott. 

Scott tied his own bike up, hurrying after Stiles and slipping silently into the building.

Stiles waved to a few deputies on his way into his dad’s office. He was relieved to see that it was empty, and he sat down to call the Hale house, practically bouncing in his seat from nervousness. “Hurry, hurry, hurry.” 

The phone clicked as it was picked up. “Hello?” Peter answered, frowning and gazing down at the caller ID. “Is something wrong?”

“This will be hard to believe.” Stiles said quickly. “But if you ask Derek about the Ghost of Christmas Present, he’ll tell you I’m not lying. You have three kids, and one of them is about to kill his adopted sister. I’m giving you the address, but he might already be in the woods. By the bridge.” He recited Theo’s address. “Save her and I’ll give you the names of the other two.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and then Peter was calling for Derek. “What is this nonsense about the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’?” He asked. Derek’s voice didn’t come over the line, but he was clearly answering Peter, since the next thing the older man said was a somewhat bewildered, “Uh… huh.” There was another long pause as he mulled the words over, and then he turned his attention back to Stiles. “Alright.” He replied simply. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” Stiles hung up and turned toward Scott. “And now we wait.”

Scott exhaled, nodding. “Yep. Now we wait.” He hesitated. “What do we do after this?”

“What do you want to do?” Stiles countered. 

“Beyond sleep for a year?” Scott snorted. “I just wanna make sure that everything’s going the way it’s supposed to go. I wish I was telepathic. Or something.”

“You don’t want to be a werewolf anymore.” Stiles mused. “You’ve been talking about every other possibility for yourself.” 

“I just want the asthma gone forever.” Scott sighed. “If I have to be a werewolf for that, then… whatever, I’ll deal with it. Unless there’s some magical cure-all that I can take that means I don’t have to be a werewolf, but I don’t think that exists.”

“I don’t, either.” Stiles shook his head. “I want to at least say hi to my dad before we go to my house. Or yours.” 

“Okay.” Scott replied. “You don’t think he’s out on call or anything, do you?” He looked around the interior of the office before remembering that John wasn’t the Sheriff yet.

“Probably.” Stiles shrugged. “He does lot of wellness checks.” 

“What are those again?” Scott glanced at him. “Is that where he drives to the older people's houses and makes sure they’re doing okay?”

“Yeah.” Stiles smiled. “He’s quick about it, but still thorough. The last deputy they had on it didn’t do a very good job, and he just answers phones now.” 

Scott made a face. “Was it Haigh? I bet it was Haigh. He’s such a jerk.”

Stiles tapped his nose and grinned. “When the whole thing with Matt happened, Haigh was on vacation. Anyway, we’re not dwelling on what was, we’re just making it what won’t be, you know? Let’s just get going. We need to talk to Lydia and maybe study for the test tomorrow.” 

Scott nodded. “Okay. Hey, maybe I can just stay the night, and we can both see your dad when he’s off shift?”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured. “Either way, let’s get going. I can make dinner, even if that’s just reheating leftovers.” He quickly scrawled a note to his dad and left it on his desk, just to say that he had stopped by, before he went back outside to unlock his bike from the lamp post. 

Scott followed him outside and grabbed his own bike, hopping on and playing with the pedals as he looked over at Stiles. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Okay.” Stiles rode toward his house, putting his bike in the garage and waiting for Scott to do the same. “What do you want for dinner?” 

“Is it weird that I’m craving chili?” Scott asked, coming to a stop next to Stiles’ bike and hopping off. “I mean, not like the super spicy kind, but the tangy, meaty kind? I know, I know it takes awhile to make, I just really want it.” He laughed at himself a little. “Hm. Maybe instead of that, we could get grilled cheese and tomato soup?”

“That would definitely take less time.” Stiles laughed. He walked out of the garage once the overhead door was closed, going into the house and getting his walkie-talkie out of his room to ‘call’ Lydia. “Want to come over for dinner? Scott’s spending the night.” 

“What are you eating?” Lydia demanded.

“Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Probably. That’s what Scott wants. It might end up being peanut butter and jelly and chicken noodle soup.” 

“That sounds disgusting.” Lydia teased. “I’ll see if I can bring some things from my cabinets and I’ll help you make something.” 

“Sounds good. Come on over. Bring your textbooks.” Stiles tossed his walkie-talkie onto the couch and went into the kitchen to look through the fridge. 

Scott grabbed a stool and hauled it toward the cabinets, before climbing up and poking his head inside. “Do you have canned soup in here?” He asked. “And what do you want to add to it if you do? We could cut up tomatoes and add cream, I think. That would make it more tomato-y and thicker, too.”

“And it would also be gross.” Stiles shook his head. “We’ve got cheese and broccoli, though. I’m going to make soup from that. But we do have tomatoes, so... BLTs?” 

“Oh, that sounds really good.” Scott swung his head around to look at Stiles and nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

Stiles smiled. “Okay. Go turn on some music or the tv or something.” He waved a hand to gesture vaguely toward the living room and the radio on the counter. “I feel like I can’t focus unless I have background noise.” 

Scott laughed. “I’m on it. I can make plenty of background noise.” He wandered into the living room and switched on the tv.

Stiles put slices of bacon in a skillet, then turned a burner on under it, on the stove. He poured broth into a pan and turned a second burner on. 

Lydia knocked on the door a few minutes later, carrying her backpack in her right hand. 

Scott answered the door for her, smiling out at her softly. “Hey. C’mon in.” He stepped back a little to let her in. “We decided on broccoli cheese soup and BLTs.”

Lydia tilted her head, mulling that over as she walked in. “I guess that’s not terrible.” She shrugged. “Better than what he said he was going to make.” She set her backpack on the couch and opened it. “I brought lemon bundt cake. It’s not the best dessert ever, of course, but it’s still something. I didn’t want to show up without doing my part.” 

“Come in here and cut up tomatoes!” Stiles called out. “Half of the bacon is done.” 

Scott grinned at her. “On it!” He called back, glancing back at Lydia. “And you always do your part, no matter what it is.”

Lydia smiled. “Okay.” She followed Scott into the kitchen, setting the cake on the table and removing the lid. She opened the silverware drawer and got out a knife, setting it by the cake before she started setting the table. 

Scott followed her in and set to work, slicing the tomatoes carefully. Eventually, he had a small pile sitting on the side of the cutting board. “I sliced them kinda thick, if that’s okay.” He told Stiles. 

“I only need three, so yeah.” Stiles turned, looking from the tomato pile to Scott. “I only needed three slices. I probably should have said ‘cut up a tomato,’ instead of making that plural.” 

Scott looked sheepish. “I like tomatoes. Um, I can put them in a tupperware thing. Or eat them. Whichever.”

“Save them. And the rest of the lettuce. We can have salad tomorrow.” Lydia suggested. “I don’t feel like dealing with my dad and mom while they’re arguing. I just said I was staying over at a friend’s house. Sorry I didn’t ask first.” 

Stiles shrugged. “We’re not much younger than them, technically, anyway.” 

“You really need to let that go and just pretend we’re children who happen to be above average in intelligence.” Lydia commented. She got out slices of bread for the sandwiches as Stiles added more cheese to the soup he was making. 

Scott placed the extra tomato slices and the lettuce leaves into a container and put it into the fridge, then stood beside Stiles, tapping a little at the counter and fidgeting in place. “Hey, Stiles, is there anything else I can do?” He asked. 

“Pour us some drinks? Soda, not alcohol. Unless you want some. It’s not like I’ll tell.” Stiles laughed. 

Scott grinned. “Not this time.” He laughed, moving to the fridge again and pulling out a two-liter of soda. He grabbed three cups and poured the drinks out carefully. “Are we setting up the dining room table or are we eating in the living room?”

Lydia frowned. “Considering I set the table in here, I’m guessing we’re eating in here.” She looked up at Stiles, raising an eyebrow. 

Stiles shook his head at her, then put a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “We’ll eat in a few minutes.” 

Scott grimaced, glancing away from them both. “Right.” He mumbled. “I’m just gonna… go clear my head for a minute.” He trailed out of the room with a sigh.

“What’s going on with him?” Lydia whispered, frowning. 

“I don’t know, he’s been having a lot of issues all day.” Stiles whispered back. “I have to keep reminding him of things. It’s like he’s forgetting. He asked me what a wellness check was. Let’s just have dinner and see if we need to talk to him about it later, okay?” 

Lydia sighed, but she nodded. “Okay.” 

Scott didn’t come back in until about five minutes later, twisting his hands together and furrowing his brows. He looked up at the other two, but didn’t speak, taking a seat and rubbing his hands over his face with a sigh.

Lydia took another bite of her sandwich, studying Scott. 

Stiles finished the last of his soup and picked up his sandwich, biting into it. 

Scott slowly picked up his own sandwich, studying it for a moment before setting it back down. “I think there’s something wrong with me.” He said quietly. 

“I don’t think so.” Stiles protested. “I think you’re forgetting, that maybe you’re regressing or something. But that doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Maybe you’re tired of, of like... I don’t know! Doing this over and over again. Maybe you want to stay here.” 

Scott exhaled. “Would that be bad?” He asked softly. “If I did? And… what if - what if it’s all that, but what if there’s still something wrong with me? I should know the stuff I’m forgetting.” His hands shook a little, and he clenched them into fists on the table.

“Maybe you’re having trouble because you’ve subconsciously decided you would rather be a kid and not have to do this.” Lydia murmured. “And if that’s the case, then we’ll take care of it. It’ll be okay.” 

“No, but -” Scott shook his head. “I want to help. I need to help with this, I need everything to be okay. I don’t want to make you guys do this all by yourselves.”

“I don’t want to do this without you, either.” Stiles admitted, frowning at Lydia before he looked back at Scott. “You’re going to have to talk to Deaton. I don’t know what else this could be. I can’t help you.” 

Scott sniffed and nodded. “Yeah.” He murmured. “I’ll… I’ll make it a point to go see him.”

“Okay.” Stiles murmured. He finished his sandwich, mostly by picking at it, and drank the last of his soda before he started clearing dishes and rinsing them, then putting them into the dishwasher. 

Scott rested his head on the table with a sigh. “This sucks.” He muttered.

Lydia shook her head and finished her soup and sandwich quietly. She cut slices of the bundt cake for herself, Scott and Stiles, setting them on plates that she got from the cabinet. “It’s got to be psychological. It didn’t affect me or Stiles.” 

Scott stared at the cake for a moment. “You really think I’m doing this to myself?” He asked softly, glancing between them. “That… that I don’t want to go through this anymore, enough that I’d… blur out parts of my own memory and basically start again?”

“There’s no other explanation. If you think of the time traveling as a door, then we all walked through the same door.” Lydia began. “And we’re okay.” She gestured to herself and Stiles. “But you not being okay means that whatever it is, it can’t be a physical reaction.” 

Scott sighed and nodded. “Yeah.” He murmured. “Maybe that’s… I don’t know what I’m saying, you’re usually right. It’s stupid to think you might not be for some reason.”

“Do you want to just stay a kid and not fix these things?” Lydia asked quietly. 

Stiles sat down and picked up his fork, getting a bite of his cake. 

Scott scowled faintly. “I said I wanted to help fix everything. I just - god, would it really hurt the stupid universe to let us be normal and not constantly be fighting for our freaking lives and everyone else’s all the time?”

“You did hear what you said, right?” Lydia muttered, staring at Scott. “You really do want to stop.” 

“Of course I want to stop!” Scott exploded in frustration. “I don’t want to always be on alert, I don’t always want a monster of the week, I don’t want to worry about what’s going to happen to the people I love every minute of the day if I screw up, just once! I want us all to be safe, just…” he slumped and put his head back down on the table with a groan, narrowly avoiding the plate of cake. “I know it can’t happen. Not the way I want it to. We’d have to end up living in a world that’s never known violence, and the only way that would happen is if we ended up in freaking Heaven or something.”

“Sit out.” Stiles muttered weakly. He cleared his throat. “Lydia and I can take care of this. You handle doing the kid thing.” 

Scott swallowed roughly. “You want me to take a backseat to this?” He asked quietly. A part of him wanted to. He’d asked for it, after all, he’d all but screamed what he wanted. But another part of him felt like a failure. He’d told Stiles and Lydia he’d help, and now he was being given a green light to back out, but stepping back from saving the world - saving everyone’s lives - with Stiles and Lydia felt like he was betraying them. 

“No, but you want to.” Stiles murmured. “It’s not like I’m going to just quit talking to you, it’s just that... you don’t want to keep going. And that’s okay. It’s okay.” 

Scott shook his head, sniffling and rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s not, though. It isn’t. I’m a piece of crap for saying I’d help you and then wanting to back out. The least I could do is see it through to the end. I keep saying I want to keep everyone safe, but then I turn around and walk away just to keep myself safe?” He swallowed roughly, staring at Stiles. “You can’t be okay with that. You and Lydia are putting your lives on the line to save our futures, but it’s okay if I sit down and pretend to be my dumbass eleven year old self? That’s not okay. Not with you, because it definitely isn’t okay with me.”

“Well, first of all, you’re ten.” Stiles snorted. “Secondly, I’m okay with it because it’s what you want, you’ve basically said it at least half a dozen times, and to backtrack now and act like you’re some kind of garbage person is just not being true to yourself. We’re not putting our lives on the line, anyway. We’ve dealt with everything that we can deal with, for now. I’m going to see if I can find out anything about Theo’s sister, after I finish this cake. But I’m not telling you about any plans after tonight.” 

Scott shut his eyes and exhaled softly, nodding slowly after a moment. “Alright. Fine. I just… if anything wrong happens, now or in the future, or whatever… I don’t care if it breaks my brain. Please tell me.”

“Define wrong.” Lydia said calmly. “Obviously, you’re not talking about whether someone wore white shoes after Labor Day, and crime has always happened around here. What exactly do you want to know?” 

“If everything goes to shit.” Scott replied, looking at her. “If you’re not going to include me from now on, I mean, then… I’m… ‘break glass in case of emergency.’ If something that you’re trying to change doesn’t go the way you want it to, and things spiral out of control after that, then come find me. I mean - even if it does, you probably wouldn’t need me, but…” he shrugged and looked at the table. “Just in case.”

“Hey, we do need you!” Stiles snapped. “But not so much that we’d make you do something you don’t want to do.” 

“I think we should just end this discussion.” Lydia looked from Scott to Stiles and back. “We need to study and get ready for bed. I’m a lot more tired than I thought I would be. I don’t have the energy to stay up too late. I went to bed at eight-thirty last night.” 

Scott was silent for a beat, and then nodded. “Yeah.” He murmured. “Sleep would be good. I’m going to go get changed.” He paused and looked at Lydia, and then Stiles, then cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh. I’ll do that. And get my books.”

***

After school the next day, Stiles waved goodbye to Lydia as she boarded her bus, then rode his bike to the station to talk to his dad. He locked his bike to the lamp post, like he usually did, then walked into the station. “Hey, is my dad here?” 

Tara Graeme smiled at him. “Hey, Stiles. Yeah, your dad’s trying to get the coffee machine to work.” She pointed in the direction of the man in question. “Wanna go tell him it’s a lost cause?”

Stiles laughed and nodded, walking away to talk to his dad. “Hey. Tara says you should just give up. I have good news.” 

John turned away from the coffee machine, scowling faintly. “Piece of crap.” He muttered, and then looked at Stiles. “What’s your good news, son?”

“Scott, Lydia and I got our results from that exam today, to see if we could be moved ahead in school. She’s got an aptitude of college math. Mine is more like, high school. But my English score was about fifteen points higher than hers, which I think means college aptitude for me? Anyway, we’re supposed to meet a specialized teacher tomorrow. Scott didn’t do so well, but I promised I’d still help him with his homework and stuff.” Stiles smiled tensely. “It’ll be a little weird to not be in a class with him, and to only have Lydia in my class. I think we’ll still have gym and lunch with everybody else, though. And possibly recess.” 

John’s eyes were lighting up as Stiles spoke, until he eventually just held his arms out to his son, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry that Scott didn’t do as well, kiddo, but this is good news. I’m so damn proud of you.”

“Thanks.” Stiles hugged his dad. “Do you need help with anything?” 

John looked thoughtfully over Stiles’ head at his desk. “You wanna help sort some paperwork?” He asked. “Nothing interesting, I’m afraid, it’s mostly arrest reports for petty breaking and entering stuff.”

“Who did it?” Stiles looked intrigued. 

John shook his head. “Two little nobodies, trying to make a name for themselves and failing. Some slightly more experienced people that also fail at making themselves known. I’m not sure what they expect to happen, if they think they’re living out the lives of some Gotham City villains or something, but I can tell you for damn sure, Batman would be laughing at these chuckleheads.” 

Stiles grinned. “Well, if you become the Sheriff next year, you could be like Commissioner Gordon.” 

John grinned back at him, running a hand over his son’s shorn hair. “One can only hope. Maybe we’ll even end up with our own version of Batman, hmm? I could petition the city council into setting funds aside for a big damn signal.”

“I could do it. When I’m old enough.” Stiles murmured, deciding he had to tell Lydia about the conversation later, knowing she would think it was funny. “I heard that something happened to the Raekens. Are they okay?” 

“Mm.” John nodded and put his hand on Stiles’ shoulder, leading him to his desk and sitting down on top of it while leaving the chair free for Stiles. “It was kind of a close call. Their daughter got lost in the Preserve and almost drowned in the river. Hell if I know what she was doing out there at night, but Peter Hale happened to be out that way and saved her. Saved her kid brother, too, though I don’t know what he was doing out there, either.”

“Maybe they went for a walk?” Stiles shrugged. “But I'm glad they’re okay. What are we having for dinner?” He sat down in his dad’s chair, turning back and forth idly. 

John watched him, smiling faintly, and couldn’t help stretching his foot out to make the chair turn farther. “Oh, I was thinking bread and water. Maybe a bean or two.” His foot nudged the chair in the other direction. “How about some stroganoff? I could pick up the beef on the way home if you want to get the noodles and sauce started and set to the side.”

“I can do that.” Stiles smiled. “I should get home, then. I have to take care of some stuff.” 

“Alright, kiddo.” John smiled. “I’ll give you a call when I’m on my way home, yeah?”

“Sure.” Stiles got up, hugging his dad again before he left, riding his bike home. He called the Hale house as soon as he got in, pacing nervously. 

“What.” Cora’s voice came over the line flatly, somehow sounding disinterested and threatening at the same time.

“Can I speak to Derek or Peter, please?” Stiles sighed. He had once seen Cora as someone he might want to date, but that had long since faded. 

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Cora replied, and then held her hand over the receiver to call out for her brother and uncle. “One of them will be on the phone in a second. Just depends on who gets to it first.” She told him.

“Thanks.” Stiles murmured. 

Cora stayed silent for a moment longer before her curiosity got the best of her. “So… what do you need to talk to them about?”

Stiles bit his lip. “Um.” He had a decision to make, and it was one that Lydia would have probably wanted to weigh in on, but he didn’t have time to ask her. Scott was out, it had been decided almost unanimously (since Scott was conflicted, his vote only halfway counted), and Stiles knew that a couple of ten year olds couldn’t really save Beacon Hills by themselves. Like it or not, the Hales were involved because most of the controversy surrounded them. He thought of how pulling a thread would unravel everything, and all of the Hales were threads. Likewise, leaving them out would possibly cause problems. “I was wondering how Theo Raeken is doing.” 

“Oh.” Cora sounded surprised. “Uh… I think he’s doing okay? Peter seems weirdly attentive to him, but he won’t really tell anyone why…” She paused. “Except for Derek.” She added slowly. “And I’m guessing there’s a reason for that, and it includes why you’re calling.”

“Yeah, more than likely.” Stiles said evasively. “You’ll find out, just not yet, okay?” 

Cora sounded sulky when she replied. “Okay. Fine.” She sighed. “Oh - Peter beat Derek out. Handing the phone to him. See ya.”

“Yeah, see you.” Stiles agreed, walking down the hall to his room to look for his walkie-talkie, knowing he was going to need to talk to Lydia as soon as he finished talking to Peter. 

“Hello.” Peter spoke, sounding intrigued. “The Ghost of Christmas Present, yes? How can I help you?”

“I promised you two more names.” Stiles murmured. “Malia Tate and Jackson Whittemore.” He licked his lips, thinking. “Malia’s adoptive mother and sister were in a car accident a couple of years ago. Malia had been with them at the time, but she disappeared. She was never found because she’s not in human form. I think you understand what I’m saying to you, right? But you’re not looking for a wolf, you’re looking for a coyote.” He paused, waiting to make sure that this was sinking in for the older man. “You’ll find a den with a doll in it. It belonged to her sister. Don’t touch the doll, she... you already understand, I’m not explaining that to you.” 

Peter cleared his throat softly. “Yes, I… I understand. And… the other name? How do you… suggest I proceed there?”

“A DNA test.” Stiles murmured. “But I don’t know that you’ll have trouble getting them to agree to one. At the very least, a judge would grant it. Theo, Malia and Jackson share a birthday and the same blue eyes. Find Malia. They’ll do blood work on her anyway, since she’s been missing this long.” 

“Right.” Peter murmured in agreement. “Okay. Thank you for your help.”

“You’re welcome.” Stiles hung up, smiling to himself as he spoke to Lydia. After the night before, they had agreed to switch channels. If Scott caught on to that, it was beyond their control, but they weren’t going to actively try to get him involved unless he had to be. “Woodchuck to gray squirrel.” 

“Stop watching stupid reruns of tv shows that are irrelevant.” Lydia laughed. “What happened?” 

“I kind of planted the seed in my dad’s head to run for Sheriff next year, and I verified that Peter saved Theo and Tara from horrible fates. I blocked my number from showing up on caller ID and called him to tell him about Jackson and Malia. I told him where to find Malia, too. Cora asked what was going on, and I just told her that I had questions about Theo. I think it’s going to be impossible to keep the Hales out of this. We’re probably going to have to tell them, eventually.” 

“Eventually doesn’t have to mean this afternoon.” Lydia pointed out. “I need you to help me find a private investigator. But I don’t know how to hire one. I don’t think we’re old enough.” 

“You think your dad is having an affair?” Stiles blinked. 

“I know he is.” Lydia sighed. 

“Then it’s simple.” Stiles smiled. “Pay for it online, using your dad’s credit card.” 

“Like my dad hired someone to take pictures of him cheating?” Lydia sounded baffled. “Why would a person do that?” 

“To stop hiding. He doesn’t want to be with your mom anymore, anyway. If he did, he wouldn’t be cheating.” Stiles reasoned. “It makes sense to make him pay for it, anyway.” 

“I’ll think about it. I’m gonna go, I want to take a look at what the high school classes are doing for homework.” Lydia turned her walkie-talkie off. 

Stiles eyed the clock. It was still too early to start dinner, so he called Scott on the phone. 

“Hey,” Scott answered casually. “What’s up?”

“Not a whole lot.” Stiles smiled tensely, breathing in and out slowly. It wasn’t as though he was deliberately keeping things from Scott - but that was exactly what he was doing. “Is your mom home tonight, or are you over there by yourself?” 

“Mom’s at work.” Scott murmured softly. “So… yeah, I’m on my own for the night.”

“Then come over here. I’m going to make beef stroganoff. Well, the noodle part. My dad’s bringing beef from the store. I’m going to remind him to get a salad, too.” 

“That sounds great!” Scott blurted. “I’ll be over there soon.”

“Okay, see you soon.” Stiles grinned. He hung up and went into the kitchen, but decided to let Scott set the table, since he had felt left out the day before. 

Scott arrived nearly eight minutes later, the quickest he actually could get to Stiles’ house without the asthma taking its toll on him. He knocked on the door, and then opened it, sticking his head inside. “Hey, I’m here!”

“Come in!” Stiles called out. “I’m watching tv, it’s too early to cook the noodles.” 

Scott opened the door all the way and stepped inside, shutting it tightly behind him. He walked into the living room and smiled at Stiles before dropping onto the couch next to him. “Anything good on?” 

“Not really.” Stiles glanced at Scott, smiling. “It’s weird, having time to just sit and watch cartoons.” 

Scott laughed softly. “I know. I missed it.” He looked up at the tv and drew his legs up onto the couch, crossing them. 

“I’m thinking about doing Little League again, this summer.” Stiles glanced at Scott again, then turned toward him, giving up on the tv. “Do you want to?” 

Scott smiled brightly. “Yeah. I’d love that. I mean - yes. I want to.”

“Good.” Stiles grinned. “See? I told you. We’re going to be fine.” 

Scott nodded, his lips twitching. “I know. You’re right.” He couldn’t help leaning a little against Stiles, pressing their shoulders together. “Thanks for keeping me sane. Ish.”

“You’re welcome.” Stiles laughed. “Did you bring homework with you?” 

Scott nodded. “Yeah, I threw everything back into my backpack before I came over. I left it by the door.”

“Do you need help with it?” Stiles shifted awkwardly, feeling more like a parent than a best friend and he wasn’t so sure he liked that. 

Scott gazed at him with a crooked smile. “Maybe later tonight?” He suggested. “What’s something stupid we can do that’ll make your dad get that squinchy look on his face when he gets home?”

Stiles smiled. “Uh, I don’t know. It’s too cold for water slides... Shaving cream beards?” 

Scott grinned. “I like shaving cream beards. And bubble hats.”

Stiles got up and went into the bathroom, leaving the door open as he sprayed shaving cream into his palm. It was dumb and he wouldn’t have bothered if it hadn’t been Scott’s idea, but he knew his best friend needed this, the opportunity to do dumb, childish things. 

Scott followed the other boy to the bathroom, smiling affectionately at him. “I know it’s something we haven’t done since we were younger than the first time we hit this age, but… I appreciate it. And it’ll give your dad some dumb pictures to save for a few years.” He paused, his eyes widening slowly. “No, wait, why am I giving your dad blackmail against us? This is a terrible idea.”

Stiles eyed the shaving cream in his hand, then smiled wickedly and clapped his hand down on Scott’s cheek. “I think it’s a good idea.” 

Scott yelped, staring at Stiles with wide eyes and an open mouth. “What - dude!” He reached for the shaving cream, fumbling it a little as he tried to spray some into his own hand. He gave up a moment later and just aimed the whole can at Stiles’ face, grinning. “I could press the button. I really could.”

“You don’t have it in you.” Stiles smirked. “You’re the nice one.” 

“Am I?” Scott grinned. “Am I really?” His finger pushed down on the canister. 

Stiles reached up to catch the foam, even as he took a step back and ducked a little. “Dude.” 

Scott blinked rapidly. “Oh my god, dude, I only meant to press down a little!” He blurted, staring at the can in his hand. “There’s no in between with these, you’d think I’d know that by now.”

Stiles laughed, shrugging. He used his elbow to turn on the water in the sink, washing the foam off of his hands. “I think that’s probably enough crazy for today.” 

Scott smiled a little sheepishly and nodded. “Okay.” He murmured, and bent down to wash his face off. 

Stiles sat on the edge of the tub to wait for Scott. “I feel bad that I’m going to be in a different class than you.” 

Scott lifted his head and patted his face dry with a towel before he looked at Stiles. “Don’t feel bad.” He said quietly. “It’s - I should’ve done better on that test. I didn’t. That’s my fault.”

“Was it on purpose?” Stiles asked quietly. 

“You’d think so. With as much bitching as I did about wanting to be normal.” Scott shook his head. “No. It wasn’t on purpose. I went in feeling so confident. And then… they put the test in front of me, and everything I thought I knew just flew right out of my head.”

“Then it’s not your fault.” Stiles shook his head. “I’m still going to help you with homework, and so is Lydia.” 

“Okay.” Scott murmured. “Good. Because I do about as well with homework as I do with tests.”

Stiles nodded, thinking. “More tv, or homework?” 

Scott looked a little contrite and smiled softly at Stiles. “Homework, I think.” He murmured. “Please.”

“No problem.” Stiles nodded again, getting up and leaving the bathroom. He sat down on the living room floor, by the coffee table. 

Scott curled up on the floor silently next to Stiles after he grabbed his books, and opened them silently before looking up at Stiles. “Maybe science first?”

“Okay, that should be easy enough. It’s mostly just identifying the parts of it. Lungs and stuff.” Stiles shrugged. “Did you get any of it done yet, or were you waiting to do it all after school?” 

“I was waiting until after school.” Scott admitted. “Not to be lazy or anything, but because I was actually trying to concentrate in class?”

“Nothing wrong with that.” Stiles assured his friend. “Okay, just mark the ones you know, and we’ll go over the ones you’re stuck on.” 

Scott nodded and bent his head over the book and his notebook, furrowing his brows together as he went over the questions and marked off the ones he knew the answers to. His tongue poked out of his mouth as he thought on some of them, and then he straightened, hesitantly setting the pencil down. 

Stiles read over Scott’s answers, nodding to him. “Good so far.” He explained the rest of the respiratory system to Scott, eyeing the clock on the tv every so often as he waited for his dad to call. 

Scott finished the last few questions that he already knew the correct answers to, and then startled when the phone rang in the otherwise silent house. “Holy shit.” He blurted, clapping a hand over his chest. 

Stiles laughed and answered the phone. “Hey, Dad. Scott’s staying over. His mom’s at work.”

“That’s fine with me.” John chuckled. “I picked up some paperwork at the library for us to go over, if you were serious about me running for Sheriff next election. And I’m at the store now. What meat do you want, the eighty-twenty or the ninety-ten?”

“Eighty-twenty.” Stiles got up and went into the kitchen, running water in the pan. “I’m starting on the noodles now. Get a salad, please.”

“French fries and cheese sauce?” John ‘repeated’ teasingly. “Sure thing.”

“What, you want to eat salad and tofu for the rest of the year?” Stiles countered. “I mean, okay, I guess.”

“Brat.” John laughed. “Alright, alright, salad it is.”

“Good!” Stiles smiled. “I’m hanging up. See you soon. Love you.”

“I’ll see you soon.” John chuckled. “Love you, too, buddy.”

Stiles hung up and put the pan on the stove, turning the burner on the let the water heat to a boil. He tossed a pinch of salt into the water and walked back out to the living room to sit by Scott. “Want to take a break and help me set the table?”

Scott looked up at Stiles and grinned, nodding. “God, yes, please, my eyeballs feel like they’re on fire.” He laughed. 

Stiles led the way back into the kitchen, getting plates and bowls down for Scott to use around the table before he did the same with forks and glasses for their drinks. They still had napkins left over from the Christmas party at school, things Stiles had brought home afterward since they would have gone to waste, otherwise. He smiled fondly at the candy cane design as he set a small stack of them on the table, in case anyone needed them later. The water was boiling in the pan, so he dumped noodles into it and stirred it a few times before he set the spoon aside and looked around for something else to do. 

Scott almost eagerly set the table, placing the plates down before following up with the bowls for the salad. The glasses and silverware followed immediately after, and Scott couldn’t help the grumbling of his stomach when he recalled that food was on the way. 

Stiles smiled at Scott and handed him a slice of the lemon bundt cake from the day before.

Scott accepted it gratefully, picking off a piece with his fingers and taking a bite. “You’re the best.” He murmured. 

“Usually.” Stiles grinned. 

“Always.” Scott corrected, grinning back at him. The sound of the door opening caught his attention, and he sat up. 

“Hey, boys,” John called. “Stiles, come get the meat, Scott, grab the salad, please?”

Stiles ran through the house and down the stairs, grabbing the bag of hamburger meat and going back into the kitchen. He put it in the skillet and turned the left front burner on, getting the meat ready to cook. The noodles were almost done, so he grabbed the colander and smiled to himself. 

Scott followed after him, grabbing the large bowl of premade salad and carrying it back to the kitchen before setting it on the dining table. 

John headed up the stairs, then into his room, changing out of his work clothes quickly. Setting the paperwork he’d brought with him onto his desk, he left the room and followed the boys into the kitchen, watching fondly. 

Stiles smiled back at his dad as he drained the water from the noodles, dumping them back into the pan and letting the meat finish browning before he added it, as well. There was a lot he wanted to say, but he couldn’t talk to his dad or Scott about it, he would have to wait for Lydia. 

John rubbed Stiles’ shoulder lightly. “It smells great, kiddo.” He murmured. “I might not even blow on it first before I eat it.”

“I think that would be a bad idea.” Stiles snorted. “How did your day go?” He used the spoon to serve food onto the plates, then got milk out of the fridge and filled the glasses. 

“It wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t - there wasn’t a whole lot of - it was boring.” John admitted, shrugging. “I get a lot of those days.”

“Okay.” Stiles murmured. “I don’t think that’s true, but okay.” 

“Occasionally I get sent on coffee runs. Sometimes, they send me out on patrol for investigations - today wasn’t one of those days, by the way.” John looked at Stiles. “Really, the most exciting thing I did today, aside from that B&E paperwork, was catch a guy plowing up the highway at a hundred miles an hour.” He paused and then grinned faintly. “I do enjoy getting to use the light.”

Stiles glanced at Scott, then looked back at his dad. “Who was it?” 

John paused again, for effect this time, and then looked at Stiles seriously. “Garrison Meyers.”

Stiles smiled. “Good.” He took a bite of his dinner, feeling relaxed. 

Scott made a muffled noise in the back of his throat before shoving a forkful of stroganoff into his mouth, blinking wide eyes back at Stiles. 

Stiles shook his head quickly, taking a bite of his salad. 

Scott bit his lip and nodded.

John leaned forward on the table, taking a bite of his own salad. “Didn’t look the least bit apologetic, either.” He muttered, frowning. 

“Well, it’s a good thing you caught him. He shouldn’t be driving like that, he should know better. Isn’t he a bus driver?” Stiles frowned. 

“He is, which disturbs me a lot, considering he drives for Beacon Hills.” John shook his head. “I don’t know, kid. Couldn’t really do much, though.”

“What do you mean? He at least has a fine, right? And you brought him in for attempted arson?” Stiles blurted before he could stop himself. 

“I got him for speeding and reckless endangerment with a vehicle. I couldn’t bring him in for arson.” John sighed. “He was out of town and had an alibi. Or so he says. He won’t actually give the alibi to anyone but his lawyer.”

Stiles’ mind raced. He knew exactly what he had to do. 

***

Stiles walked around the study room in the library, too nervous to sit down. He needed to figure out how to ask Derek or Peter for a favor without them demanding his name in return. Even though he had told Derek that his name was Stiles, it hadn’t been the complete truth and he felt more secure, that way. 

“Would you just sit down? We’re meeting our new teacher today. We’ve got a couple of minutes until he or she will be here.” Lydia sighed. 

“I don’t want Garrison Meyers walking around freely.” Stiles muttered, shaking his head. “He’s just as much to blame as the rest of them. I don’t understand what he was doing out of town, and I can’t find out unless I ask Derek or Peter to help me.” 

“Or you could just bug his car.” Lydia said sarcastically, backtracking when she saw the glint in Stiles’ eye. “Do not do that.” 

“Yes, don’t do it.” Peter said as he stepped into the room, cocking his head to the side. “Especially not when your father is law enforcement.” 

“Are you our teacher?” Lydia demanded, gripping the edge of the table with both hands. 

Peter beamed at her. “Excellent question. Short answer is yes. Long answer…” He furrowed his brows. “Is also yes. Forget I said that.”

Stiles snorted and sat down across from Lydia. “This actually solves a problem I was having.” He gave the door a pointed look, then glanced at Peter again, before he realized that his voice over the phone was probably different than his voice in person. The werewolf might be able to do things other people couldn’t, but Stiles doubted that identifying someone from their phone voice was a possibility. 

Lydia nudged Stiles’ foot under the table. “He just gets really antsy when he doesn’t have something to do.” 

“Oh?” Peter grinned crookedly. “Maybe I should jump right into assigning you homework, then, hmm?”

“Yes.” Lydia and Stiles said together, smiling awkwardly at one another. 

“The hell with it.” Stiles blurted. “Peter, I need you to do something for me.” 

Lydia sighed and put her head down. 

Peter sat down on the end of his desk, his head cocking to the other side. “I’m all ears.”

“There are people who...” Stiles froze, eyeing Peter. “Uh, maybe... maybe I can’t ask you for this, after all.” 

“It’s too late.” Lydia muttered. “He’s going to bug you until you tell him, now.” 

“Garrison Meyers was one of the people who wanted to help eradicate your family.” Stiles said bluntly, grimacing. “He was out of town at the time of what would’ve been the attempted arson, and he has an alibi that his lawyer knows and doesn’t want to reveal to anyone, so he’s not worried about being brought in. But if you listened to what that alibi was and told me, I could figure out a way to make sure my dad can arrest him for whatever it was. Legally. If it wasn’t a crime, the lawyer would be more than happy to discuss it. Whatever it was, it’s something bad.” 

Peter studied Stiles for a long moment. “I presume you’re intimately involved in what’s been happening, and that is the reason you’re so determined to see Meyers locked up? After all, you seem to have a stake in having him arrested.” He rubbed his hands together, thinking. “Most men like Meyers, when they have a so-called alibi but are unwilling to tell anyone what it is, it usually is something bad. Occasionally, it’s something embarrassing. Maybe even something personal.” He looked back up at the two. “But considering it was my family you say he was planning to help butcher, I would be more than happy to scare the ever living daylights out of him.” He straightened. “The truth, too.”

“No.” Stiles blurted, shaking his head. “You can’t talk to him directly, anything he says would be inadmissible. He could just claim he was under duress. Instead, just treat it like surveillance. Listen to him around the clock. He’ll say something to someone and you can tell me what it is. All of you Hales can take turns. And as for my involvement?” He shrugged both shoulders. “My mom died a few years ago. She was a good person and it was beyond her control, the illness she had. So maybe I don’t think the bad people in this world should be able to see one more second of daylight when she doesn’t get to.” 

Peter inclined his head thoughtfully. “Fine. As you wish.” He agreed, nodding. 

Stiles smiled. “Thanks.” 

“No problem.” Peter smirked faintly. “Alright. Now, how about we actually do some work?”

“Yes.” Lydia nodded. “What do you have for us?” 

Peter set down his briefcase, opened it up, and then took out the small stack of papers he had stapled together separately for each of them. He set one in front of Lydia, before placing the other in front of Stiles. “I figured between the three of us, we could come up with a comprehensive teaching guide that would let you two learn something you actually enjoyed and would learn from, and keep me on my toes. I hate being bored. If you two want knowledge, I’ve got knowledge. Too much of it, in my head at any given time. I put together a smorgasbord of topics and lessons taught across middle schools, high schools and colleges. If you want to pick all of the ones you want to learn at once, fantastic, we’ll do that. If you want to pick one topic a week to focus on, awesome, I’m willing to do that, too. I want to work with you guys so that you can actually become something and get the hell out of this town.”

Lydia beamed. She started looking through the packet. She got a highlighter out of her backpack and started outlining the topics that interested her. 

Stiles did the same thing once he realized what Lydia was doing, but he was trying to be more selective than she was. Memories of Harris criticizing him for outlining nearly the entirety of a page came back to him, and he sighed, blinking as he tried to push the memory aside and get back to what he was doing. “I think this is the last time.” He muttered, looking up at Lydia. 

“I thought we already agreed that it was.” Lydia remarked, not looking up from her papers. 

“We did, but I always have fallback plans.” Stiles muttered. 

“Ahem.” Peter smiled benignly at them both. “You really shouldn’t say things in front of a ‘teacher’ who has the curiosity of a cat and none of the unfortunate proverbs entailing it’s demise.” He waited a beat and then clarified, “I’m interested in knowing what the hell you're talking about and if you keep talking about it in front of me, I won’t leave you the hell alone until you tell me what you mean.”

Lydia looked up at Peter, folding her hands in front of her on the table. “We’re time-travelers who have come back to this decade twice now, in an effort to keep you from suffering a fate that actually is worse than death. We may look like we’re ten, but we’re closer to thirty.” 

“You can be thirty. I’m twenty-nine.” Stiles protested. “I refuse to admit to being any older until I physically get there.” 

Peter blinked at them both slowly. “Huh. Okay.” He squinted at the walk. “Okay. That’s… not what I was expecting, but it makes sense.”

“So what we really need is to learn things we haven’t already done a hundred times.” Lydia continued. “But if you’d rather teach me archaic Latin, painting and quantum physics, that’s fine. At one point in my life spiral, as it is, I was set to attend MIT and had enough credits to be a junior without having taken a single class there. Maybe with your help, I can get a degree without having to even go.” 

“That would be a hell of an accomplishment on my part.” Peter grinned at her. “Alright, I’m up for that. I have absolutely no problem with whatever you two choose to focus on. I’m kind of hoping this will be a steady job for me, so if it turns out you want to study everything on those sheets? Go for it. I’m here, I’ll help.”

Lydia nodded. She finished highlighting what else in the packet interested her, then held her hand out for Stiles’, to compare the two. She wrote down courses that interested both of them in one column on a sheet of paper, using a second column for things she found interesting, and the third column was devoted to Stiles’ preferred classes that didn’t match hers. “I think this will be enough to keep us busy. But just so you know, I want to be done with school before I’m sixteen. That’s grade school and college. If you can’t manage to get us through college in the next six years, that’s fine, we’ll at least be mostly finished. I assume.” She held a hand up, tilting her head. “Instead of regular P.E. with the other fifth graders, I’d like you to convince the school to allow us to take a couple of actually useful physical education courses. Martial arts and dance.” 

Stiles laughed. “Dance?” He shook his head. 

“You’ll do it if you actually do some research and realize that it could benefit you.” Lydia retorted. “I went along with martial arts last time, you can handle a dance class.”

Stiles smiled slowly. “If I agree to spend the rest of this school year learning something like that, you have to join Little League this summer.” 

“Deal.” Lydia said firmly. 

“Assuming Peter goes for it. I mean, Mr. Hale.” Stiles glanced over at their teacher. “Since we haven’t really let you offer an opinion. Maybe you’d rather have about an hour of free time while we play dodgeball?” 

Peter looked vaguely amused. “I mean, I wouldn’t recommend dodgeball to anyone, but if you want it, take it. I don’t know that I can teach every single one of these classes you’re interested in, though. I’m knowledgeable, but even the size of those course loads would be enough to make me need to take a step back and refresh my mind.” He was staring at Lydia’s writing thoughtfully. “If I could contact another few teachers that would be willing to help teach you two, would you be willing to learn from them?”

“Do you have names?” Lydia looked intrigued, then her eyes widened and she turned, swatting at Stiles’ hands frantically. “We already had her as a teacher, once.” 

“You’d better not mean Blake.” Stiles said warily. 

“No! Allison’s mom!” Lydia grinned. She turned toward Peter. “I realize this puts you in an awkward position, but it would actually help you and the Argents if you could come to a truce, here in Beacon Hills. Kate and Gerard are horrible people, and Victoria sort of straddles the line, but Chris and Allison are good. If Victoria had more to focus on than being an angry, vindictive, racist housewife? She’d possibly tone down her fury. And if we can’t make that happen ourselves, Stiles and I? Nobody can.” 

“In that case?” Stiles licked his lips. “Deucalion. Might as well include him in that truce. Just him, though. Kali isn’t welcome here. The twins are, assuming they’re even part of his pack yet. Ennis, I’m not so sure about. And I don’t remember the other one’s name.” 

Peter shook his head furiously in agreement. “No. No, no. You definitely do not need any of Deucalion’s packmates here. Absolutely not, there would be a damn war on our hands the very minute they were all past the county line. Deucalion… might be persuaded to adhere to a truce… it might be a little tricky, though, if the Argents are in residence, too. Victoria’s father-in-law is, after all, the man that blinded him. There’s probably a bit of a grudge, there.”

“Believe me, I have reason to hate him, too.” Stiles muttered. “What if, in terms of the truce, the other Argents could be persuaded to give Gerard up?” 

Peter rubbed his chin, thinking and furrowing his brows. “I think it would depend on the manner of persuasion.” He murmured. “Although with Gerard out of the picture, I suppose it would be easier for the heir apparent and his wife to raise their little princess without fear of interference from that madman.”

“Anything we can do to help convince them, we’ll do it.” Lydia blurted. 

Peter glanced at her, raising his eyebrows a little. “What are you thinking of doing? What would be your method of convincing the Argents to turn over their patriarch? You do realize that they can be so blinded by their mission that anything said about Gerard’s… penchant for genocide would only be seen by them as his strength and perseverance? I mean… Chris, potentially, might be open to negotiations, but it’s really Victoria that you would need to make the deal with.”

“Just let us handle that.” Lydia said confidently. 

Peter looked wary, but sighed. “If you believe you can… then, fine.”

“Trust us, we need this.” Stiles murmured. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?” 

“I don’t think so.” Peter murmured. “So if you two want to finish up any plans you’ve got before I dismiss you for…” He furrowed his brow. “Break. Or lunch, or going home, or however school days go. That’s fine.”

Stiles laughed. “We could just go home. We’ve only been here about an hour.” 

Peter shrugged a shoulder. “Whatever floats your boat.” He grinned faintly. “Gives me more time to catch up on sleep.”

“I’ll figure out a schedule that works for all five of us, once everything is settled.” Lydia smiled. “I don’t really trust adults to handle it, I’ve had to correct too many of them. We’ll call you when everything is set up.” 

“Good thing I haven’t ever considered myself an adult.” Peter grinned at her, but shrugged. “I’ll be waiting. Have you got anyone to pick you up and drop you off, or do you walk?”

“I ride my bike here, but Lydia usually takes the bus.” Stiles admitted. “The station isn’t too far, she can walk there with me. Or go to my house. It’s also close to here.” 

“Alright. I was going to offer a ride if you needed it. If you ever do need it, just give me a call, alright?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Stiles muttered, snorting. He stood up, waiting for Lydia. “Come on, we have a busy day ahead of us, anyway.” 

Lydia nodded, but she was thinking of how many college credits she could get before she turned sixteen, her body on autopilot as she got her backpack and followed Stiles out of the library. 

Peter snorted, shaking his head, and packed up his things. He sighed, pleased with the day’s events - and even more pleased at the thought of collapsing face first into his own bed once he got home.

***

Lydia set a sheet of paper down in front of Peter, the following Monday morning. “Monday from eight am to three pm, Tuesday from eight until ten thirty am, Thursday from eight until eleven-fifteen, and Friday from noon to three. That puts you at around seventeen hours, and I assume you can spend another three grading our homework, each week? That should work for you.” 

Stiles laughed as he sat down across from Lydia. “Don’t say work, I’m pretty sure he hates that word. Besides, that one pm to three pm class is mostly bullshit, on Mondays. It’s not like we’re really going to spend two straight hours running around and leaping over benches. I think an hour is plenty. We can use the rest of the time for homework.” 

“That sounds good to me.” Peter replied, and then pointed at Stiles. “And you’re correct, I absolutely loathe that word. It should be stricken from the dictionary. And the history of the world.”

Stiles nodded, smiling. He hesitated for a few seconds, not sure if it was appropriate to ask for a variety of reasons, but ventured a quiet, “How are your kids doing?” 

Peter froze, and then clasped his hands together, clearing his throat. “Good. I think. I hope. They’re, uh… well, Theo’s the only one with me right now. The Whittemores… I didn’t think they’d really be very willing to let Jackson go, and they aren’t. Henry Tate…” He scowled at the desk. “Bastard called me an immature shitshow, undeserving of being a father. He won’t give Malia up to me.” He looked up at Stiles and Lydia. “How the hell can he know if I’m going to be a shitshow if I don’t get the chance to actually be a dad to my own kids? Asshole.”

Lydia smiled gently at Peter. “Call Stiles’ dad at the police station. Tell him that Henry’s house is a dangerous environment and that you tried to be reasonable, but he’s forcing your hand and making you get police involved. That if given the opportunity, you can prove that Malia is your daughter and that you can obviously provide a safer environment for her. Mention that Stiles has been talking incessantly about his father running for Sheriff.” She gave her friend a knowing smile, then looked back at Peter. “And tell him, and mean it, that he’ll have all the support he needs from the Hale family. That you want your children under your roof and you had no prior knowledge that you were a father until recently. Do it now. We’ll work on Biology while we wait.” To prove her point, she unzipped her backpack and pulled a Biology textbook out of it. 

On the other side of the table, Stiles did the same thing. 

Peter studied them both for a long moment, and then smiled crookedly before nodding and murmuring, “I’ll do that.” He stood up from the desk and then stepped out of the room with his cell phone.

Stiles waited a few seconds, then looked up at Lydia. “What’s been going on with your dad?” 

“The email address I used to pretend to be him had one email in it this morning.” Lydia murmured. “The private investigator still thinks it’s strange that a man would pay for his own evidence of cheating, but he’s having someone deliver the pictures to my mom today. As soon as she gets them, he’s supposed to send another email for confirmation, and I’m deleting the address as soon as that happens.” 

Stiles reached across the table to put his hand over Lydia’s. “You’re going to be okay.” 

“I know that.” Lydia rolled her eyes, then sighed. “I’m not the one being an unfaithful jackass. Although, it has made me look back at a few of my bad decisions and I’m starting to think certain behaviors may be hereditary.” 

Peter stepped back into the room, rubbing a hand over his smirking mouth. “I like your dad, Stiles.” He commented. “No nonsense family man with a hell of a desire for justice and a healthy dislike of men that keep children away from their rightful parents. I appreciate that a hell of a lot, and not just because I can’t stand Henry Tate.”

Stiles grinned. “Yeah, my dad is awesome.” He nodded, then frowned when Lydia kicked him lightly. “Okay, okay.” He muttered, going back to reading the first chapter of their books. 

Peter let them be for as long as he possibly could, emailing his sister about the triplets and making plans with her to set up a new room for Malia. By the time he looked back up, his head swirling, an hour had passed and his eyes were dry. Blinking rapidly at the younger two, he said, “Time for a break? Food? Anything? I’m ordering a pizza.”

“Go ahead.” Stiles smiled. “We’re on to English Lit and Composition, but we did the questions at the end of chapter one of Bio, so we’ll just keep working and eat when we feel like it and you can grade our homework whenever. During all of this, if you want. Sorry if we’re kind of boring?” He shrugged. “It’s a lot easier to get work done when there aren’t ten other kids throwing spitwads and calling me names.” 

“Who calls you names?” Peter asked, frowning. “Want me to frame them for something? I’m pretty sure I’ve got a contact that can get me a pound of pot.”

Stiles laughed. “No, but save that for later, if we need it.” He blinked. “I mean the contact and the option, not the pot.” 

Peter grinned wickedly. “You sure about that?” He teased.

“Well, I mean, no.” Stiles grinned back. “But I don’t think it would be a good idea. I’m physically ten. Talk to me again in five years.” 

“I’m notating that.” Peter told him. “You think I’m teasing, but I’m serious. As soon you turn fifteen, you’re getting a present. That you’ll need to hide from your father, but still.”

Stiles smiled. “I don’t think he’ll care? I mean, he might wonder where I got it, but he trusts that I won’t try dealing to other people or anything. I mean, not currently. He’ll get there. I’ve got ADHD. It helps.” 

“Gotcha.” Peter murmured, nodding. “Well, as long as it doesn’t put me on his to-shoot list, I’m happy. I’d rather have your dad as an ally than an enemy.”

“Yeah. Then you should probably know that he has no idea I’m as involved in all of this as I am.” Stiles said carefully. “I’m the reason that Kate Argent and her cronies got arrested. Well, I mean, Lydia helped, too.” He decided not to mention Scott, since that just made things more complicated. “I’d rather not tell my dad any of this stuff, he didn’t take it very well last time and he’s more, uh, fact-based than what he’d consider science fiction. I’ll talk to him eventually. Right now just isn’t the time.” 

“Okay.” Peter said slowly. “Ah… well, my sister has experience in telling people about the not-so-normal goings-on in Beacon Hills. I mean, she had to let her husband know, otherwise he’d have freaked out the minute Laura came out of the womb howling with yellow eyes and fangs.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I’m just saying that if you need help with the explanation, we can help. When you’re ready.”

“No.” Stiles said firmly. “At least, not now. But maybe later, yeah.” He went back to the book he was reading. Over the weekend, he and Lydia had spent time putting together a tentative lesson plan, just in case they weren’t satisfied with what Peter, Victoria or Deucalion came up with. They had agreed to read Of Mice and Men, mostly because they had done it before and it was an easier novel to get through than anything by Tolstoy. 

Peter took that as a hint to get up and make the call for the pizza, stepping out of the room. He stepped back in a few minutes later and sat down at the desk, kicking his feet up on the chair next to him. “Stop for food in about twenty-five minutes, yeah?”

Lydia’s eyebrow raised, but she kept reading instead of responding verbally to Peter. 

“It’s fine.” Stiles snorted. “Anything I don’t get done today, I’ll just do later. I cook dinner most of the time, and it’s mostly just waiting for water to boil, so I can make pasta. Well, probably not today. Today’s going to be a salad day. But that’s even faster and I can do more work, then. Lydia, just put the book down, we have about sixteen weeks to read it. Ow! Okay, fine. But still.” He reached down to rub his shin, where she had kicked him. 

Peter snorted out a laugh and went back to his own paperwork.

***

By April, the new routine for Stiles and Lydia at school had been set. They still had lunch with Scott and the rest of the school, and they had started spending time with Malia, Theo and Jackson when opportunity presented itself. Even though most of their classes were ‘canceled’ for the week of Spring Break, Victoria still expected them to come to the Argent house for their dance instruction (ballet for Lydia, tap for Stiles). Stiles was a little wary of meeting Allison this way, and his stomach churned at the idea that she might think he was weird and decide to avoid him. 

Lydia tugged her ballet slippers over her heels, looking up at Stiles. She had plans to spend her free days re-learning to ride a bike, since it was always tricky to figure out how to balance that first time. She was also working on assignments that weren’t due for weeks, for Victoria’s classes, to give herself more time to relax later on. “Allison is going to be here today.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I'm afraid of.” Stiles muttered. “Just remember, you’re signing up for Little League next week.” 

Chris stepped into the house quietly, holding the door open for the small brunette beside him before he shut it firmly and tossed a duffel bag into the corner. “Vicky?” He called. “Honey, we’re here.”

Victoria walked out of the kitchen. She smiled at her husband and daughter, hugging each of them in turn. “I’m glad you finally made it.” 

Allison beamed up at Victoria and hugged her back. “The ride was boring.” She told her mother matter-of-factly. “Dad wouldn’t make it go faster.”

“Yep, because breaking the speed limit on our first day in town is a sure-fire way of getting on the Sheriff’s good side.” Chris quipped, patting Allison on the head before pressing a kiss to his wife’s cheek. “We’re glad to finally be here.” He told Victoria. “We missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Victoria murmured. “I have to teach my students, but dinner is on the table for you already, and I’m already running a little late. It’s going to be an hour before we finish up. A little less. The longer I stand here, the longer it’ll run over.” 

“Students?” Allison asked, furrowing her brows. “But it’s spring break. You’re teaching over spring break, Mom?”

“Just this one class.” Victoria smiled. “Because it’s dance, and you know you can’t take a week off from that.” 

“Oh,” Allison laughed. “Right.” She’d taken her own fair share of dance lessons - from her mother and from other people - and up until she’d started archery, she’d consistently kept up with it. “Are they gonna stay for dinner when they’re done?” She called out as she wandered toward the kitchen and started to load up her own plate. 

“Well, that’s up to them.” Victoria remarked. “Why don’t you put the plate down and come say hello before you decide to invite them?” 

Allison fidgeted, and looked down at her plate before she looked back up at her mother and nodded. “Okay.” She murmured. “Where are they?”

“In the basement, the room on the left, just at the bottom of the stairs.” Victoria smiled. Getting Stiles to agree to go down there had been difficult, but she figured it was normal for kids his age to think basements were creepy. She had installed more lighting and he was doing better. 

“Okay,” Allison laughed softly, and followed her mother’s directions, heading down to the basement curiously. She lifted her hand a little shyly as she spotted the other two. “Hi. I’m Allison, and you’re… my mom’s students?”

Lydia nodded, standing up. “We are. I’m Lydia and this is Stiles.” She gestured to him. “It’s probably odd that we’re taking two different forms of dance at the same time, but it just seemed easier this way.” She added ‘safer’ in her head, where she wouldn't have to explain herself. 

“What types of dance are you taking?” Allison asked Lydia, glancing at Stiles and giving him a small smile. 

“Ballet and tap.” Lydia pointed to their shoes, looking up at Allison. 

Stiles put a hand on Lydia’s shoulder. Since this was their third time trying to solve things (the first time had been their original timeline, when everything had been unexpected), he had noticed that she had a lot less patience for everyone around her. “I’m only doing this because Lydia promised she’d join Little League with me if I took a dance class. I’m not doing it next year.” 

Allison grinned crookedly. “That sounds cool. And - sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention to the shoes. It seemed rude to look at your feet when I was talking to you. I’m shy, not a jerk.”

Lydia laughed. “I’ve been on edge for a little while. My parents are divorced.” She explained. 

Allison nodded earnestly. “I understand. I mean, I don’t understand, but - um… I understand your explanation? That sucks. Is there anything I could do to make you feel a little better?” She paused. “Oh! Also, I wanted to invite you guys to stay for dinner if you wanted to. I’m starving, but I think I can hold out until you’re all done. My dad might not, I could hear his stomach growling from the parking lot at the airport, all the way until the car parked in the driveway.”

“We’ll stay.” Stiles grinned, glancing up when he heard footsteps on the stairs. “And now, another hour of tormenting myself.” 

Allison giggled. “You’ll be okay.” She told him. “But if you want, I can save extra of my mom’s garlic rosemary smashed potatoes for you.”

Stiles’ eyes lit up. “Yes, please and thank you.” 

Lydia gave Stiles a confused look, then walked over to the barre to start stretching. 

Allison grinned widely. “Okay.” She murmured, turning to head up the stairs. She waved at Lydia. 

Lydia waved back. For the next hour, she went through her usual routine, careful to stay out of Stiles’ way, and he did the same for her. She was actually kind of relieved that he wasn’t going to be doing this much longer, but she was starting to wonder why she had deemed it so important for her to do. When she was done, she went into the basement bathroom to change her clothes, then went to sit on the stairs, waiting while Stiles changed his clothes. They went up the stairs together and into the kitchen. 

“Stiles has been studying Portuguese and German, and how to cook and bake.” Victoria smiled as she sat down across from Allison, gesturing to the boy in question. “So we’ve been focusing on recipes, written in those languages. He made a German chocolate cake today.” 

Stiles smiled hesitantly as he sat down. “I’m just glad I didn’t get salt and sugar mixed up.” He admitted, laughing softly. 

Allison stared back at him in surprise. “That’s awesome, though.” She told him. “My mom has tried to teach me to cook and bake. I fail at both. I set her favorite pot on fire.” She glanced sideways at Victoria and shifted. “... Which I am still very, very sorry about.”

“I cook a lot, anyway.” Stiles explained. “And I’ve been teaching Lydia and our friend Scott, a little bit. Maybe I can help you?” He cringed, glancing at Victoria. “Not that I’m saying you can’t...” 

Victoria laughed. “It’s possible that she’ll be more willing to listen to you. I’m convinced that half of what I tell her gets ignored by default, because I have Mom Voice.” 

Allison’s hand flailed out. “I can’t help that your Mom voice and your teaching voice sound the same!” She protested, laughing. She looked back at Stiles. “I mean… if you’re willing, I’m able. I’d love to learn.”

“Maybe on Saturday afternoons?” Stiles suggested. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be a whole thing, just... that’s when I’m free to do that.” 

Allison grinned at him. “Okay.” She agreed, bobbing her head. 

Lydia looked back and forth between them again, pursing her lips before she started eating her dinner. After a few bites, she looked up at Victoria. “I need to get home. I have a lot of things I need to get done before ballet, tomorrow. Will you excuse me?” 

Victoria smiled. “Yes, you’re not obligated to stay here. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Allison sat up, looking at Lydia curiously. “Um… could I have your number or something?” She asked, looking hopeful.

Lydia beamed. “Yes.” She rummaged through her backpack, getting a piece of paper and a pen out to write her phone number down for Allison. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Allison beamed right back at her, looking delighted. “Okay!” She blurted, reaching out to grab the paper and clutching it tightly. “See you tomorrow!”

Stiles watched Lydia leave, then turned toward Allison again. “What are some of your favorite foods?” 

Allison poked at her food, thinking. “French fries, and noodle dishes. Um… chicken dishes and burgers. Italian, for sure.”

“Okay, we’ll start with burgers.” Stiles laughed. “That should make my dad happy.” 

Allison looked pleased. “Cool. Mine, too.”

“Then we should also do fries.” Stiles mused. “Okay, I’ll have to go get stuff from the store on Friday.” He finished his mashed potatoes and sat back, smiling at Allison. “What grade are you in?” 

“The fifth.” Allison replied, sticking her fork into the mashed potatoes and then lifting it up so she could take a bite. “I was supposed to be in the sixth grade.”

“I’ll have to introduce you to Scott. And Erica, Boyd and Isaac.” Stiles grinned. “And Theo, Malia and Jackson.” He glanced at Victoria and Chris, wondering if he had made a mistake in saying that. 

Victoria hesitated, but she nodded after a moment. She couldn’t keep Allison away from every werewolf in Beacon Hills, and she had come to have a begrudging respect for Peter Hale. If Stiles and Lydia, who were two of the smartest children she had ever met, trusted the Hales and their associated werewolves, she figured she could do the same. 

Chris made a face, but he watched his wife carefully, and then sighed, nodding after she did. As much as he personally wanted to protest, they were in a truce that Victoria had brokered - he could have his opinions, and his concerns would always be taken into consideration, but Victoria’s word as the head of the family was bond.

Allison looked absolutely delighted, her cheeks aching from the size of her smile. “I would love that.” She blurted to Stiles, her eyes bright. 

***

On Saturday morning, Stiles read the last chapter of Metamorphosis, smiling to himself as he thought about how the whole werewolf thing had started. He put the book into his backpack, so that he wouldn’t lose track of it before Monday, and went about cleaning the living room and kitchen. He made a face when he realized that the bathrooms would need to be cleaned up, but he took that as an opportunity to call Scott. “Hey, wanna come over?” 

“Yeah, totally.” Scott replied. “You want me there, like, yesterday?”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured. “I’m going to introduce you to someone I met a few days ago. She’s pretty cool. You probably already know her, actually. But yeah.” He wasn’t sure if Scott remembered ever having known Allison in their previous run-throughs of the timeline, so he was doing his best to be cautious. He wasn’t really gravitating away from Scott, but he couldn’t really talk about things that had happened in school, since their experiences were vastly different now. 

“Cool!” Scott replied, smiling softly. “Alright, I’ll see you soon, dude.”

“See you.” Stiles agreed, hanging up. He went into his room to clean up in there, since he had a feeling that someone would end up there at some point. 

The doorbell rang not long after, and Scott’s voice called out. “I’m here! Where are you?”

Stiles laughed and rolled his eyes as he ran down to the front door and opened it. “I keep telling you that you can just come in. You practically live here half the time, anyway.” 

Scott shrugged. “I figure it’ll probably take me five more years before it clicks, and by then our parents will probably be married and we’ll be living together.” He snorted. 

Stiles blinked, then shrugged in response. “Yeah, maybe. Anything is possible.” 

Scott smiled crookedly. “I mean, they’d have to actually make a move on each other first. Anyway. So this person I know…” he trailed off a little, looking apprehensive. “With dark hair and dimples? Is she… gonna be here? Soon, I mean?”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, more than likely. I gave her my address and phone number and everything. I’m teaching her to cook burgers and fries. Simple stuff, but still.” 

“Cool.” Scott murmured again. “So… what are we doing until she gets here?” He asked.

“You want to help me clean the bathroom?” Stiles looked hopeful. “And by help, I kinda mean do it for me? I cleaned up the rest of the house.” 

Scott snorted out a laugh. “Oh, okay, so you called me over for free labor.” He teased. “Yeah, I can take care of the bathroom for you, man.”

Stiles grinned and hugged Scott. “Thank you. I didn’t just invite you over for that, and you know it. I just know that you like to help and I do need help. I’m still not so good at hosting parties and everyone is coming over today. I don’t know if I should decorate or make punch or something.” He laughed. 

Scott hugged Stiles back tightly. “Don’t decorate. Cleaning up will do just as well. And you can make punch if you want. I like your punch.” He grinned.

Stiles smiled. “Okay. I’ll do that, then. I was also thinking about ordering some pizzas.” 

“Pizza sounds good.” Scott agreed, clapping Stiles on the shoulder. “Alright. I can go clean the bathroom if you have anything else you wanna do. Unless you wanna sit in there with me while I clean?”

“I’ll order the pizza and then I’ll come help or talk or whatever.” Stiles nodded. “Thank you.” 

Scott grinned at him. “No problem, dude.” He squeezed Stiles’ shoulder, then turned and walked toward the bathroom.

Stiles ordered three large pizzas - one pepperoni, one plain cheese, and one Hawaiian - before he went down the hall to the bathroom. He sat down on the floor, looking up at his friend. “About forty-five minutes until it gets here. I’ll worry about the punch later.” 

Scott was putting away the towels, folding them before making sure that any of the ones that might be dirty were put to the side to get thrown in the washer. He glanced at Stiles, smiling faintly as he wiped down the sink. “That sounds good. Gives me plenty of time to finish in here and for everybody else you know to show up.”

“You really think that my dad and your mom could be interested in each other?” Stiles looked intrigued. 

Scott shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe. Anything is possible, right? They’re really good friends, it’s just kind of… a natural progression after that, right? If they feel it?”

“Yeah, it is.” Stiles agreed. “And it’s not that I don’t want it to happen, but I guess I sort of got used to the idea of Lydia being my sister, and Allison being your sister.” He frowned, wondering if he was saying too much. 

Scott paused, very, very briefly, his eyebrows furrowing together before he nodded. “Right.” He murmured. 

“Sorry. I know you don’t want to hear any of that.” Stiles mumbled. “Are we all done in here?” 

Scott nodded at him. Yeah, we’re done. And it’s - it’s okay. You can mention them to me. I don’t mind.”

“Okay.” Stiles nodded back. “Then come sit with me in the living room and we’ll talk while we wait for food and people to get here?” He left the bathroom, taking the dirty towels to the basement to put them in the washer before he went back up both flights of stairs, to the living room. 

Scott followed him out silently, glancing back at the bathroom for a moment, like he was surveying his work. He nodded, looking pleased.

Stiles sat on the couch and turned toward Scott. “Have you met Allison? I mean, in your class?” 

Scott shook his head. “I mean - she’s introduced herself to the class, but… I haven’t spoken to her or anything. I feel awkward about it.”

“Well, that’s what today is for, then.” Stiles grinned. 

Scott grinned back. “You’re not wrong.”

“I’m kind of surprised that nobody else is here yet.” Stiles was starting to feel impatient and nervous. 

“Well, we’ve been in the bathroom. Maybe they were knocking and we just didn’t hear them?” Scott shrugged, and moved toward the door, peeking through the viewhole. “There’s a car coming up the driveway.”

“Okay.” Stiles laughed. “If it’s the pizza, just get it. If it’s someone here for the day, let them in? I’ll go make the punch now.” 

“Sure thing.” Scott murmured, turning back to the door and opening it. He stared silently as Allison appeared from the backseat of the car, holding his hand up to greet her with a tiny smile.

Stiles scooped lemon sorbet into a large bowl, then tossed the container into the trash. He poured a two-liter of Sprite in, then added orange juice and stirred it together with a wooden spoon. He set a stack of cups and a ladle beside the bowl, then tossed the spoon into the sink and walked back through the living room and down the stairs to the front door. “Hey.” 

Allison smiled at Stiles and Scott. “Hi!” She greeted.

“Hi.” Scott said quietly, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Hey.” Stiles repeated, laughing. “Come on in, the pizza should be here in about twenty minutes, and I just finished the punch.” 

Allison grinned. “Awesome. Have you been busy?”

“A little.” Stiles stepped back, realizing that he was blocking the doorway. “I had to clean up a little bit. I try not to make too much of a mess, and I’ve had more time lately, since I do most of my school work actually at school, instead of having homework for no reason. It’s just me and my dad here, so it’s like... we try to take turns with stuff. But he works double shifts a lot.” 

“I kind of get that. I mean, both my parents work a lot, but Mom works from home most of the time, so…” Allison shrugged.

Scott nodded. “My mom works a lot, too. She’s a nurse at the hospital, so she pulls a lot of weird hours, but she tries to get home in time to usually have dinner with me.” He paused, and grinned. “Or breakfast. Otherwise, I’m usually making a sandwich for her or something and taking it to her.”

Stiles was going to say something else, but there was a knock on the door and he opened it, taking the boxes of pizza carefully from the delivery guy. “Scott, can you help me take these into the kitchen?” 

Scott nodded, reaching out to grab some of the boxes. “Of course.” He agreed, and carried them carefully into the kitchen, setting them down on the kitchen table.

Stiles glanced from Allison to Scott, then excused himself from the room and went into the living room to turn the tv on. He grabbed a few movies and set the stack of them on the coffee table, for someone else to choose from, if they wanted to watch something. 

Scott shifted a little, watching Stiles leave the room, and ducked his head to the side before looking sideways at Allison. He opened his mouth to speak to her, then closed it with a snap when his mind went blank. Swallowing roughly, he tried not to panic - he couldn’t remember how in the hell he’d gotten her to talk to him in the first place, and he breathed out slowly.

Allison sat down at the table, looking around curiously before looking at Scott and smiling again. “You’re very quiet.” She told him.

Scott flushed, and then laughed awkwardly. “That… is usually not the case?” He admitted. “Um. I’m usually a lot more… boisterous?”

Allison smiled crookedly. “You don’t seem very certain about that.”

“No, I am, really.” Scott laughed. “I just… I’m not good around girls. You can ask Lydia.”

“Ask me what?” Lydia called out, shutting the door behind her before she walked up the stairs to the living room. 

“I was telling Allison to ask you about how bad I am around girls.” Scott replied. “Well, most of them. You’ve seen me.”

“Mm, I have.” Lydia agreed easily, smiling. “But it’s better than if you were too good at it.” 

Allison raised her eyebrows, glancing at Lydia in amusement. “What, is he really that bad at it?”

“No, it’s just that you know he’s genuine because he’s not good with flirting.” Lydia explained. “Instead of that, he’s honest. You’ll never worry about whether or not he’s just saying things to get what he wants, because that’s not who he is, as a person.” 

“Oh.” Allison glanced back at Scott, smiling crookedly. “I like that. You don’t meet many people like that.”

Scott’s head dropped and he stared down at the floor, feeling his cheeks burning a bright red.

Lydia giggled. “Are you hungry or thirsty or anything?” She asked Allison. 

Allison nodded. “Yeah. Stiles said something about punch that he made, and he ordered pizzas, too.” She looked curiously at the other girl. “Are there other people coming soon, then?”

“Yes. Erica, Boyd and Isaac.” Lydia murmured. “And Theo, Malia and Jackson. Maybe Cora, but that’s only if she decides to come here at the last second. She’s kind of disagreeable, most of the time. I think that’s it. Derek might come too, but he’s older, so probably not. And I invited a few other people, but when they heard the party was here instead of my house, they seemed like they weren’t interested anymore.” 

Allison blinked. “Well, that’s rude.” She murmured. “But.. whatever, I guess, more fun for the rest of us, right?”

Scott looked up at her and grinned, then turned the smile on Lydia. “Right.”

Lydia grinned back at Scott. She grabbed Allison’s hand and led her into the kitchen, ladling punch into three cups for herself, Allison and Scott. The pizzas were stacked on the table, and she set them side by side, then grabbed some paper plates from the cabinet and set them out, too. She wasn’t sure where Stiles was until she heard the familiar sound of the dryer turning on. “Laundry,” she remarked, glancing at Allison. 

Allison peered in the direction of the noise curiously, her head tilted to the side. “Does he not want to be up here?” She asked Lydia quietly, reaching for her cup with a confused expression. “Or is that just something he forgot to do?”

“He invited everyone, he wants them here.” Lydia murmured. “But he and I both try to take advantage of any spare second we have, to do anything that needs to be done. It’s kind of difficult, only having one parent in the house. I spend time here or at Scott’s house, if my mom is busy. And they do the same with me.” 

Allison fidgeted a little, nodding. “Is that - would it be okay if I joined you guys sometime?” She asked softly.

Scott smiled. “I don’t have a problem with you joining us. You can come over anytime.”

“It’s fine with me and I know it’s fine with Stiles.” Lydia nodded. 

Allison relaxed and smiled. “Okay, awesome. Thank you.”

Stiles walked into the kitchen and got himself a drink and some slices of Hawaiian pizza, but he had to set them down to answer the door. 

Erica pounced on him the moment the door opened it, throwing her arms around him. “Hi!”

Stiles laughed, hugging her. “Hey! Pizza and punch are in the kitchen and movies are on the coffee table. I’m glad you’re here.” 

“So am I. The other nerds are behind me.” She told him, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at the other kids trailing up the driveway.

Malia perked up at the sight of Stiles and Erica standing in the doorway, her ears practically twitching, and she looked around, eyes widening slightly in interest. “I smell food.” She blurted. “Meat.”

Stiles laughed again. “Yeah, it’s pepperoni. Go ahead, help yourself. But try to only start off with three slices, okay? No pizzas just for you.” He looked over at Erica. “I’m assuming that Jackson invited Danny and Isaac invited Matt?” 

Erica nodded. “And Cora. Jackson invited Cora. And she only really agreed to go because her mom told her to.” Her lips twitched. “Talia told her that she needs to learn to get along with people, and that can only happen if she spends time with people that aren’t her family.”

“So I’m guessing she convinced Derek to come, too?” Stiles guessed, tugging Erica’s hand to pull her back from the door, to let everyone else in. “Pizza and punch are in the kitchen!” He called out. 

Erica shrugged. “He was still debating on whether or not he would,” she told him, “At least according to Jackson and Theo.” She eyed the other triplets as they wound past her and Stiles with murmured greetings and waves. Malia had bounded past minutes earlier, growling low in her throat about meat.

“Come on.” Stiles turned toward Erica, closing the door once everyone was in the house. “I’m letting you pick the first movie, since everyone else decided food was more important than talking to me.” 

Erica grinned fiercely. “I’m okay with that.”

Jackson poked his head past the doorway, glaring at Stiles. “We don’t even talk on a normal basis beyond hellos, what did you expect?” He snorted. 

“I can kick him for you.” Erica told him. “I bet Malia would, too.”

“Yes!” Malia called. “I’m capable of multitasking!”

Stiles frowned. He wanted to tell Jackson to leave if he wanted to be such a jerk, but he had a feeling that Danny would go too, and that Malia, Cora and Theo would probably also end up leaving. He wanted more people around, not less. 

Lydia looked at Stiles, then walked over to Jackson and punched him in the stomach. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt him too badly, but enough to get his attention. “Apologize. You’re a guest in his home.” 

Jackson grunted, air escaping his chest. He wheezed, glancing toward Stiles. “Sorry,” he gasped put softly. 

Allison stared at Lydia with wide eyes. “Whoa.” She murmured. 

Lydia smiled back at Allison. She faltered a second later. “I need to talk to you,” she told Stiles, going outside and walking down the block to get away from werewolf hearing. 

“What’s wrong?” Stiles demanded, handing Lydia her jacket. 

“I punched Jackson.” Lydia gave him a pointed look. 

“I saw. It was awesome.” Stiles smiled, nodding. 

“No. I, a thirty year old woman, punched a ten year old boy.” Lydia hissed, horrified. “I should be arrested.” 

“First of all, you’re only thirty on a technicality and secondly, you have the strength of a ten year old girl whose most physically demanding activity is ballet. If you had kicked him, that would have been something else.” Stiles said calmly. “He was hurt, but he was hurt by the fist of a ten year old girl who wasn’t even trying to hurt him that badly, so he _wasn’t hurt that badly_. He didn’t break anything, he’s fine. Can I please go eat my pizza now?” 

Lydia took a few deep breaths in and out, then nodded and followed Stiles back down the block and into his house. 

Allison looked at Lydia and Stiles in concern as they entered. “Is everything okay?” She asked quietly. “I mean, are you both okay?”

Malia popped up next to her, chewing loudly on a slice of pizza. “What happened? Also,” she held up the crust, pouting at Stiles. “Can I have more?”

“Yes. One piece, for now.” Stiles nodded to Malia, then turned toward Allison. “We’re both okay. We -” He stopped, looking at Lydia, “Please go get my food for me, before Malia eats it?” He waited until she was gone before he continued speaking to Allison. “We just needed to talk about a few things we’re having trouble with, at school. Lydia’s a perfectionist.” 

Allison tilted her head thoughtfully and then nodded. “Okay. Well… I mean, I’m not a genius at school, but I’m passable? I could help. If you wanted me to.” She offered, smiling crookedly at Stiles. 

“We appreciate that.” Lydia handed Stiles his plate. “We’re trying to figure out what we’re doing this summer. I want to take a couple of classes. Probably not ballet anymore, but something more academic. And Stiles is making me sign up for Little League softball. Maybe you could do that, too?” 

Allison looked interested. “That did sound pretty good when you mentioned it before - or when Stiles did. And I’m always looking for new stuff to do.”

“Scott’s doing it, too.” Stiles grinned, biting into a slice of pizza. He chewed and swallowed, then set the slice back down on his plate. “And probably Theo and Jackson. I don’t know about the others, but it would be awesome if we all tried to get on the same team.” 

Allison looked up, glancing around the room as she took a bite of her own pizza. “It would be pretty cool to know everyone and play on the same team.” She murmured after she finished chewing. She took a sip of her punch, and grinned faintly toward the others as they hovered from one small group to the next, talking. 

“Did you meet everyone yet?” Lydia grinned. “I can introduce you.” 

“I’d like that.” Allison replied. “I met the triplets. And Erica. Sort of?” She paused and tilted her head. “Is the sniffing normal?”

“Yeah, it’s a little strange.” Stiles murmured. “But not out of the ordinary for them.” 

Lydia led Allison around the house, introducing her to Danny, Boyd, Isaac, Matt and Cora. She told all of them that Allison was going to try out for Little League and that her mom was teaching Lydia ballet. She left out the stuff about Stiles’ tap dance lessons, out of respect for her friend. 

Allison straightened as she was introduced to the other kids, smiling shyly and then more confidently as they began to talk. All the same, she made sure to stick close to Lydia. 

Scott wandered over to Stiles’ side as Lydia and Allison made their rounds, leaning a little against the other boy. He hesitated for a moment and then said softly, “I wish we’d met her this young the first time. More time with her would’ve been great.”

“We were six when we met her, the second time.” Stiles reminded Scott quietly. “And then we got yanked forward in time for no real reason.” 

“I know,” Scott murmured, glancing at Stiles. He gave him a weak smile. “But I think… more time with her is never enough time. It’s… it’s always in the back of my mind. With you, with everyone, that it could always just be…” he took a deep breath. “I could lose you really easily. Some more than once.”

“Then if we ever have to go back, Lydia and I won’t bring you along.” Stiles murmured. “Just let go and give in to this, I think. Because as long as you keep remembering, you won’t be free, you know?” 

Scott pressed his lips together. “Yeah.” He mumbled. 

“I’m excited about this summer.” Stiles blurted, suddenly in a hurry to change the subject. 

“Yeah?” Scott glanced at him. “Me, too.”

Stiles felt a little panicked, looking around at everyone else. He turned back to Scott, but he had realized that they were much further apart than he had wanted to admit to himself, and that made him feel sick to his stomach. “Do you want to stay over?” 

Scott twisted his own fingers together, looking down at his feet. “I do. I mean. If you want me to.” He said carefully. He did want to, but there was a twisting feeling in his own stomach and a mocking voice in his head that told him he’d be unwelcome, and that Stiles was only offering out of politeness. It was the same voice that had initially taken up residence after his parents had started arguing all the time, the same one that had gleefully said that their divorce and his mom’s misery was all because of him (despite knowing that it was his father’s stupidity that had caused all of it). He hated that his decision to step back from the supernatural had somehow caused such a huge rift between them. He felt like all he’d done was cause irreparable damage to the friendship he and Stiles shared, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it.

“I guess not.” Stiles muttered. “Excuse me.” He got up, wandering into the kitchen and getting himself a glass of punch. He frowned down at it, then glanced over his shoulder to make sure everyone else was out of the kitchen before he poured some of his dad’s rum into the cup. He stirred it, then sat down at the kitchen table and took a long drink. 

Scott stared after Stiles, his gut churning, and he sank into his seat on the couch unhappily, wondering why, at this point, he’d even been invited to come over. Swallowing hard, he wondered if Stiles’ response meant that he’d overstayed his welcome, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually get up, whether it was to get up and ask, or get up and leave. Instead, he drew a knee up to his chest, pressing his cheek against it, and wished that he’d never opened his mouth about ‘normal’ and wanting to forget.

***

A few hours later, when everyone else but Allison was leaving, Stiles splashed water on his face in the bathroom. He went back into the kitchen and got the meat out, fumbling a couple of times with the plastic wrap on it as he tried to tear it open. “Ally! Burgers!” 

Allison looked amused, heading into the kitchen and standing at Stiles’ side. She hesitated, looking at him in concern. “Are you okay?” She asked, staring at the mangled plastic.

“I’m fine. I promised to teach you how to cook.” Stiles insisted, realizing that his words were a little slurred. “Look, I drank a little bit, but it’s not a big deal.” 

Allison stared at him, startled. “You drank?” She blurted. “You mean, you drank, like… alcohol?” She reached out to touch his arm. “Stiles, maybe this can wait. Maybe we don’t have to do this right now, you know? The kitchen isn’t going anywhere.”

“I just want to be able to do everything right.” Stiles muttered. “And it’s not working, and it never works. I should just... I should give up, probably. I hate it.” 

Allison hesitated, and then squeezed his wrist gently. “Giving up is pretty much the last thing anyone should ever do.” She told him. “My mom and dad tell me that all the time. That the consequences of quitting are a lot higher than sticking it out. And that anything worthwhile takes time, sacrifice and effort, and that it sucks sometimes, because the work is so hard, but that it’s worth it in the end.” She studied him. “They also tell me that no one can ever do anything perfectly right, and that to expect something to happen perfectly puts too much stress on your shoulders. It makes you feel demoralized when things don’t go the way you want them to.” Her head tilted. “Whatever it is that you’re trying to get right, take a step back. You can still do it, but… stop putting so much pressure on yourself to make it happen immediately. Sometimes you have to do things a hundred times over before it finally goes your way.”

Stiles looked up at Allison, laughing sadly. “Yeah, I don’t know if I can successfully do this another ninety-seven times. Maybe we should just watch a movie?” 

Allison smiled gently at him, just the corner of her mouth turning up. “We can watch a movie.” She agreed. “And maybe cuddle. You look like you really need a cuddle. But maybe let’s put that meat away first before it goes all gross and gray.”

“Right.” Stiles grabbed a plastic bag, putting the meat package inside and wrapping the bag tightly around it before he put it in the fridge. He went into the living room and put The Butterfly Effect into the dvd player, then sat down on the couch. 

Allison sat down next to him, and then leaned in, pressing her shoulder gently to his. She was silent for awhile, not questioning the choice in movie, before she murmured, “Is it something to do with Scott? I mean. You don’t have to tell me. It’s just that I noticed that he looked sad when he left, and you looked sad way before he left. He was really quiet. And he said that’s not normal for him, when I first got here.”

“Yeah, we’re kinda... we’ve been best friends for pretty much forever.” Stiles sighed. “But I don’t think he wants to spend time with me anymore. Everything is all messed up and it’s been messed up for years and it’s my fault. All of it.” 

“Maybe it seems like that?” Allison murmured. “Whatever it is that you’ve been through - I mean, I can kind of tell that you’ve been through a lot - maybe it’s just that you have been friends for so long? I mean, I’m guessing you met him really young, the way you’re talking. And you’re ten, so… ten years is a really long time to be friends. Maybe this is just a hiccup. But I don’t think whatever is happening is your fault.” She fell silent for a moment, and then added, “After you went into the kitchen, he didn’t really come and talk to anyone else. But he kinda kept… looking, you know? Toward the kitchen, I mean. Like he was hoping you’d come back out.”

“I don’t know.” Stiles muttered. “I mean, I wanna believe you, but I can’t even begin to explain... let’s just watch the movie, okay?” 

Allison nodded, and then lifted her arm to wrap it around his shoulders. “I also said cuddle. Cuddling makes you feel better, it’s just a fact.”

Stiles leaned against Allison and watched as Evan Treborn kept trying and failing to save the lives of his two best friends. He bit his lip, thinking about Allison’s suggestion that he try again, instead of just giving up. “I know what I have to do.” He glanced at Allison, then kissed her forehead and got up. “I’m sorry this didn’t work out. I’ll see you later.” 

Allison blinked rapidly, staring up at him in confusion. “Wait.” She said softly, standing up. “What are you - what do you mean? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to try to fix everything.” Stiles bit his lip. “I’d bring you with me, but that tends to mess things up for everyone I get involved. And I’d bring Lydia, but she already said she wants this to be the last time. I know I’m not making any sense to you. I’m sorry. I’ll meet you again for the first time eventually. And maybe one day I’ll even explain myself. You’re not going to remember this. I should just go do it. Okay.” 

Allison gazed at him, dumbfounded, but she reached toward him, hugging him tightly. “I just met you, though.” She said softly against his shoulder.

“I know it’s the first time you know of having met me.” Stiles shook his head, but he hugged her in return. “But it’s the third time.” 

Allison pulled back and looked at him, furrowing her brows. “Huh?”

Stiles stepped back, shaking his head. He went into his room and grabbed the supplies he needed. He hadn’t told Scott or Lydia, but he had everything on hand, just as a precaution. He locked his bedroom door and started setting everything up, trying to decide on a good place to start. If he went back too far, he would have to wait years to get started again. If he didn’t go back far enough, he was dooming a lot of people. He ran a hand over his face, thinking of how he had managed to find himself in an alternate timeline once, and in the future another time. He snorted to himself and eyed the bag in his hand. “Fuck it. Just get me out of here. Take me anywhere else.” He threw the bag down onto the floor.


	4. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles meets a different Scott in the year 2030.

When Stiles opened his eyes, he was unfamiliar with his surroundings. The bedroom had a flat screen that looked like it was built into the wall, and took up most of the upper half of it. There was no remote anywhere that would have made sense for him to leave one. “How the hell do you turn this thing on?” 

As though it had heard him, the tv turned on, and an automated voice greeted him. “Good morning, Stiles. What would you like to watch today?” 

“Uh...” Stiles took a deep breath. “The news?” 

The tv obediently changed channels, and the bottom right corner of the screen listed the date, time, and an emoji of a sun that Stiles assumed meant the weather was nice. He could have cared less about what outside was like, though. Based on the year, he was thirty-five. “Jesus.” 

The tv changed again, this time to a religious sermon. 

“Goddammit.” Stiles snorted at himself, realizing the irony, and left the bedroom to see who or what else existed in his immediate vicinity. 

Scott looked up at the sound of footsteps, glancing at his reflection in the mirror at Stiles. He smiled crookedly. “Hey. Thought you were going to sleep the frigging day away, dude.”

“Well, I guess that’s pretty normal by now, right?” Stiles said carefully, glancing around to take in the sight of all of the furniture before he looked back at Scott. Everything looked comfortable, not at all like the futuristic chrome he had expected. 

Scott snorted and turned to face Stiles, moving toward him. “Well, yeah, if waking up with your hands in my face and your knees in my gut is normal. Which I guess it is.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Stiles’ lips, reaching up to cup the other man’s chin.

Stiles faltered, too stunned to respond for a few seconds. He hesitantly kissed back, not wanting to upset Scott, even though he wasn’t sure what was going on. 

Scott pulled back after bestowing another few small, soft kisses on Stiles’ mouth, smiling faintly. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing a bit in concern. “Hey. You okay?” He asked. “Did you wake up weird?”

“Yeah, I had a - a weird dream.” Stiles stammered. “Sorry. I think the tv is fucking with me, too. Who decided voice commands were a good idea?” 

Scott thought about it, and then cocked his head. “I don’t know.” He replied, the words slurring together, so it sounded more like he’d said ‘iunno.’ “Steve Jobs and Apple?”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, that sounds accurate.” He nodded, then reached for Scott’s hands because he wasn’t sure what else to do and doubted that ‘how the hell did we end up together’ would be a good way to start off his life in this reality. 

Scott grinned at him, squeezing Stiles’ hand and unconsciously lifting it to his lips to press a kiss to Stiles’ knuckles. “What do you feel like doing today?”

“I kind of just want to stay here. If that’s okay?” Stiles asked, feeling uncertain. “Maybe we can just watch a movie or something. It’s just - uh, that... that nightmare really got to me. I’d rather just spend the day with you, right here.” 

Scott flushed in pleasure at Stiles’ words, though his eyes remained sympathetic, and he tilted his head down to press a kiss to Stiles’ shoulder. “I understand. And yeah, we can definitely just stay in, you and me, and do whatever you want to do. Are you hungry for anything in particular? Thomas’ Dining has a deal on their skillets and omelettes for, like, half the cost they usually do, and you know their serving sizes. We’ll probably end up finishing them off for breakfast tomorrow, too. Anyway, I can get my Italian omelette, and you can get the Polish skillet?”

“Yeah.” Stiles smiled. “That sounds good.” He felt a little guilty that he was taking advantage of whatever life had been lived by the Stiles he had replaced or possessed, depending on someone’s perspective. “You go ahead and order, I’m going to take a shower.” 

Scott’s eyes twinkled playfully. “Don’t take too long, or this time I actually will make good on my threat to join you, and the food will go bad.”

Stiles grinned. “I don’t really see any downsides. We can always get more food.” He walked away, going back into the bedroom and getting a change of clothes from the dresser. He wasn’t worried about whether or not the clothes were his; he and Scott traded clothes so often that everything was theirs, even before any of this happened. Whatever this was. With the clothes in his hand, he had to find the bathroom and knew that would be hard to explain if Scott caught him, so he was thinking up excuses as he left the bedroom and wandered around what appeared now to be an apartment, and definitely not a small one. He found the bathroom easily enough and closed the door, locking it behind him before he remembered that he probably didn’t do that sort of thing anymore. He unlocked the door, but kept it shut as he undressed and got into the shower. He did hurry through it, just because he wasn’t so sure how he would feel about Scott joining him, and eyed his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He had a few scars on his arms, but nothing that looked very recent or ghastly. For all he knew, they had come from Scott’s claws during sex. Assuming that his boyfriend - husband? - was a werewolf. He wasn’t sure what Scott was to him. The lack of a wedding band didn’t necessarily mean anything. “You seriously fucked up.” He whispered to himself as he got dressed. 

“What did I fuck up?” Scott called through the door, sounding worried. “Did I forget an important date? I’ve never done well with dates, I’m sorry, babe.”

“No, not you.” Stiles called out, opening the door. “It was something I did.” He bit his lip, remembering all too well how Scott had practically screamed in frustration about time travel, before. To introduce that into his life again would be unfair, so Stiles did the only thing he thought made any sense. “I think I need to move out.” 

“Yeah?” Scott called back. “So I did do something, then. Because you wouldn’t be saying that if I hadn’t fucked something up!” His voice was teasing, but still had a hint of worry beneath it.

“No!” Stiles blurted. He turned around to face Scott in the living room. All he had wanted, before he time-traveled to this place and time, was to be close to Scott again. And now he had it, full-stop. But he didn’t think he deserved it and he had no idea how he had even earned his friend’s affection. So he took a deep breath and tried again. “I cheated on you.” 

Scott raised an eyebrow. “Dude, if you cheated on me, I’d be able to smell it.” He folded his arms over his chest, watching Stiles in concern. “What’s going on? Why do you - I don’t understand why you want to leave me.” He swallowed. “Because you do. I could definitely tell you weren’t lying about that.”

Stiles sighed, giving Scott a pleading look. “I’m not the person you think I am.” He said earnestly. “Believe me, whatever it is you think, whatever good you think I have in me, I don’t. I don’t know how... I don’t understand why you care.” 

“I care because you’ve been my best friend - and my best everything, pretty much, since we were four and you took a piss on my goddamn sandcastle, Stiles.” Scott sighed. “I’ve had you in my life for three freaking decades, and you don’t know why I care? I care because I love you, you nut.” He shook his head. “Who are you, then, if you’re not who I think you are? Because I’m pretty sure you’re the same guy that convinced me that we could fly when we were ten, and I’m also pretty certain you’re the same guy that dragged me into the woods when we were fifteen, and that coached me through being wolfy and that you’re still the guy I had my first kiss with after Kate Argent almost killed Derek with that wolfsbane bullet, and the guy that Peter freaking took hostage at the Winter Formal.”

“We were - “ Stiles had started to correct Scott, since they had been sixteen when Scott was bitten. But then he remembered that this wasn’t ‘his’ Scott. “Never mind. I need to do some stuff online, so maybe let me know when the food gets here?” 

Scott watched him carefully for a moment, but slowly nodded. “Okay.” He murmured. He took a step closer, twining his fingers around Stiles’ wrist. “Are we okay?”

“God, yeah.” Stiles blurted. “I’m sorry I’m being weird and upsetting you. I don’t want that. You know that, right?” 

Scott smiled then, his eyes gentle, and he took the opportunity to give Stiles another gentle kiss. “I know.” He assured the other man. “I know it the same way I know that we’re forever. I’m always gonna be yours, and you’re always gonna be mine.”

Stiles hugged Scott, kissing his cheek. He smiled softly and wandered through the apartment, finding a laptop that could only be his, given the Batman stickers all over it. He sat down in front of it and turned it on. Facebook, as it turned out, was no longer the big social networking site. He checked his favorites and search history, finding a different site with a ‘milestones’ tab. At the top, listed as February eighth, was his anniversary with Scott. Like his lover (the only safe term Stiles felt explained their relationship) had stated, they had been together since their first kiss, when they were sixteen. The Olympics were real, and further research showed him that Allison was part of them, for archery. Lydia was harder to find, but she had won a Fields Medal. She wasn’t the first woman to do it, but Stiles had a feeling that it didn’t faze her at all. He thought about looking everyone else up, but settled on just checking into Derek’s history. They weren’t friends on the site, so Stiles had to try a few different searches before he found out that Derek had a job as a hotel manager and had married someone who Stiles had never even heard of. The older man seemed to be happy, so Stiles shrugged to himself and went back to his own profile page, reading up on his own life. He was some kind of werewolf training consultant, which obviously meant that werewolves were a known species or race or however they referred to themselves. He took on special cases when people were having trouble with their anchors, and he got paid a decent amount of money for it. But all of the research he had done in the past forty-five minutes only indicated that Scott was an alpha with no pack members, unless Stiles qualified as being one. He sat in his desk chair, mulling that over. 

“Babe!” Scott called. “Food’s here! Can I have a little bit of yours? It smells really good.”

Stiles smiled and walked out of the office, approaching Scott. He studied him for a moment, then leaned in for a kiss. 

Scott kissed him back contentedly, and then smiled as he pulled away. “Mm.” He hummed, reaching out and stroking a hand over Stiles’ side. “Come on. Sit down and eat with me.”

“Okay.” Stiles agreed, following Scott. He felt awestruck that here, he was in a timeline where it really had always been just him and Scott, and that had been enough. They were successful at their jobs and everyone else that he had checked up on seemed to be doing really well, too. He knew there were still plenty of other people he could look up, but he wanted to stay where he was and be with Scott. 

Scott grinned as he set the food on the table, then took a seat, gazing at Stiles fondly. “You look so zoned. What are you thinking about right now that’s got you so loopy?” He teased.

Stiles laughed. “I’m just happy. It feels a little weird. I mean, not that it’s exactly unusual.” He rambled, hoping he wasn’t saying the wrong thing and hurting Scott’s feelings. “I just realized how lucky I am.” 

“You are.” Scott nodded in agreement, his lips twitching. “And yeah, you’re usually such a regular pit of despair, so I’m glad you’re happy.” He snorted, leaning in to kiss Stiles once more. “I really am glad that you’re smiling, though. I kinda love your smile.”

“I love you.” Stiles murmured. He hadn’t let himself think about it too much, but it wasn’t a lie. Still, he knew he owed Scott the chance to make an informed decision. He doled out some of his food to the other man, since he had asked for it, then nodded to himself. “I’m not the Stiles that fell asleep in bed with you last night. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I don’t want to lie to you. I don’t want to treat you like you’re not allowed to make your own choices. You didn’t like time travel, so I left you behind. Well, not you. A different you. I'm not even sure if this counts as time travel anymore, I'm basically hopping from one reality to the next, but also moving around in time, at the same time? I’m saying time too much, I think. I want to stay here with you, if you want me to. But if you don’t, I’ll go and whoever’s life I’ve invaded, he’ll be back here with you.” 

Scott furrowed his brow in confusion. “Wait.” He held his hand up for a moment, thinking Stiles’ words through. “I don’t… I don’t understand. If you’re here, then… where did my Stiles go? I mean, you’re my Stiles, too, I already told you. It doesn’t matter what reality or how many years or whatever, we belong to each other. But seriously, the Stiles I fell asleep with. Where’d he go?”

“I don’t actually know.” Stiles frowned. “I’ve been trying to figure that out since I got here. It didn’t matter to me before, because I was in my own timeline, so I was myself. I think maybe I’m somehow possessing whatever body I kind of have a claim to? Because I don’t physically travel. Just mentally.” 

Scott frowned. “That’s kinda weird.” He rubbed his chin. “Maybe my Stiles is still inside you. Like… suppressed? Maybe?”

“Maybe.” Stiles mused. “I mean, I don’t know how to make it different. I could leave and he’d be here, but if I just kind of let him, uh, out? I’d be stuck.” 

“Then you’ll stay for now.” Scott said firmly. “You’ve got your own Scott out there somewhere that needs you. I don’t want you stuck.”

“Okay.” Stiles agreed. “I’ll go pick up a few things after we eat, though. To get somewhere else and let you have your Stiles back.” 

“I'm not telling you that you have to leave in the next hour, dude.” Scott told him gently. “You… I get the feeling things aren’t the same between you and your Scott. If I can fix that a little bit, just by being here with you, then I want you to stay. Okay? As long as you need to.”

“Yeah?” Stiles tilted his head, thinking. “I wouldn’t mind it. But I feel guilty. I did lie to you, even just for those few minutes. I would have taken him away from you and that wasn’t fair. I didn’t know because I didn’t let myself think about it. But I’ve been interfering in other lives. I guess now I just have to try to get back to my own time. It’s just that where I’m originally from? I’m...” He paused. “Well, I’m not sure how old I am or where I’m from, anymore. I changed things, but I left. I freaked out because Scott seemed like he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. I left our other friends behind. And now I think maybe I'm just comatose or maybe even dead, back there? That’s horrible.” He grimaced, closing his eyes. “That’s why I said I fucked up. I think this is an amazing life that the two of you have. I’m a little jealous.” 

“You could have it, too.” Scott told him gently. “With your Scott. However much you may have fucked up, however much he fucked up, I’m speaking from experience when I tell you that the last thing your Scott would want is to see the last of you.” He reached out and slipped his fingers around Stiles’ hand, squeezing gently. “It’s not something that I have in me, not having you around. And trust me, I’ve fucked up enough in our relationship here. Kind of amazing that you never told me to leave, I mean, I literally almost ate you when I first got turned. I think that kind of sets the bar for how high our FUBAR-threshold is.”

“If I ever get back to him, I won’t leave again.” Stiles murmured. “Uh, for what it’s worth? He almost did that to me, too. We were sixteen. Not fifteen. And he had Allison, so everything I wanted took a back seat, after that. I guess you’ve never met her?” 

Scott furrowed his brow, shaking his head. “Allison who? Also, weird that one year’s time can make that much of a difference.”

“It’s so weird that you don’t know her.” Stiles laughed. “He was in love with her. She’s in the Olympics, here. So you two are happy, and she is, too. And so is Lydia. And Derek Hale.” 

“We went to school with Lydia.” Scott murmured. “Never really talked to her, though. And Derek’s the one that found us after I got bitten. But as for us, I’m in love with you, here, so that’s that.”

“Well, not me, but the other me.” Stiles mused. “And the sooner I go, the sooner you can have him back.” 

“Stiles.” Scott murmured, smiling faintly. “I’m Scott. As far as I’m concerned, I match up with all the other millions of me that are in any given timeline or universe, and there is definitely one thing that hold true - all Scotts love Stiles, whether they’re best friends with one, in a relationship with one, or never have been in a relationship at all. Hell, there are probably some that haven’t been friends in years, but they still feel that pull.”

“You think so?” Stiles smiled. “God, I’d love to live here. It wouldn’t be fair, though. I guess I’ll just have to tell my Scott how I feel, when I see him again. I never thought I could have anything like this. Not with you or anyone. I saw...” He stopped, not wanting to explain his tiny apartment and living alone when he was twenty-nine. “I should have stayed with him. I made a mistake, leaving. In my defense, I was drunk.” He snorted. 

“Leaving when drunk is always a mistake.” Scott assured him. “I’ve done it.” He smiled crookedly at Stiles. “We had a huge blow-out when we were nineteen. We met a guy named Theo, and… well, you and I both saw him kinda differently, and we both started getting suspicious and pissy with each other. You couldn’t stand him, you hated that he was around and you couldn’t understand why I was giving him the time of day. I couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t trust my judgment about him when he hadn’t done anything to warrant it, and then, about a month into Theo being around, he…” Scott sighed. “He killed someone. But he accused you of doing it, and hid the wrench he’d used in the Jeep, and then told me where to look if I didn’t believe him. The wrench, when I found it, was dried over with blood. I don’t know how he lied to me, but he managed it, and by the time you got home that night, I was out of my mind drunk.” He glanced up at Stiles. “I’m not proud of the things I said, and I’m not going to repeat them - mostly because I don’t want to remember how it get saying them - but what it boiled down to was that I thought you’d lied to me, that I didn’t know who you were at all, and then I said that I was leaving and staying with my mother because I didn’t trust you. And then I left.” 

“Yeah, that all happened, pretty much the same way as you told it.” Stiles murmured. “Except that we were seventeen and you weren’t drunk. He did end up redeeming himself later, but not to us. To someone we knew. But anyway, you and I ended up together again later, so what happened to fix things?” 

“I died.” Scott murmured. He shrugged. “I mean, you’d been right about Theo, after all. He killed me, and you lost it. You and Mom both. I… remember his claws in my chest, my gut. He wanted the alpha power. But he didn’t get it.” He snorted. “He’d worked so hard to try to turn us against each other, and he never even saw my mom coming. You wailed on him - it was like you had werewolf strength yourself, and maybe you did. From what you and Mom told me, I was dead for seventeen minutes. I think that’d be long enough to pass whatever powers I had on to my only pack member. Anyway, you were definitely the threat, but Mom, she kept compressions going, she kept trying to revive me, and… I remember waking up roaring. Next thing I knew, Theo was gone, and Mom was hugging me, and you were just staring at me like I’d broken your heart. I mean… I probably had. And I felt so terrible for the things I’d said to you, man, I didn’t know what to do. Or say. You - you left. Your dad was in the hospital, so you walked away, and I didn’t blame you one little bit. I even came to visit, and you - actually, you punched me. Like, a lot.” He grinned faintly. “You really do have a hell of a punch. I actually had a broken nose for a few minutes. But I guess… you talked to your dad or something? And then we just… you came to me, and we talked. And it wasn’t like we immediately went back to normal or anything, there were a few weeks where we were walking on eggshells around each other, but…” he shrugged. “We loved each other. We had for years. One jackass trying to ruin us wasn’t enough to destroy what we had.”

“Is it ever weird, only having one beta?” Stiles looked intrigued. “How did you cope while I was gone?” 

“Badly.” Scott replied. “Very, very badly. And… it’s hard, but it’s doable. All I ever really needed was you. I wasn’t looking for power, I wasn’t looking for a fight, I just wanted family. And you’re it for me.”

Stiles reached across the table, for Scott’s hand. “I’m glad I met you. Any you. Having you around - or more to the point, not having you around, it’s kind of the worst thing for me. I mean, without you, I feel like I might not make it, sometimes.” 

Scott didn’t hesitate, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Stiles’ mouth before pulling back and gently kissing Stiles’ knuckles. “You can. You’re stronger than me, a lot stronger. You did pretty well without me. I’m the one that fell apart. But I’m glad we met, too.”

Stiles smiled gently. He pushed his chair back and got up from the table, reluctantly letting go of Scott’s hand and going back into the bedroom. None of the supplies he expected to find were in there, but he did find some in the office, in a cabinet. He hesitated, then sat down at the desk to write himself a quick letter. ‘Sorry I hijacked you for a little bit, but I learned a couple of things about myself in these last few hours, and I have a feeling you already know this, but I’m saying it anyway. You’re lucky that you have Scott in your life. Don’t let go of him. Ever.’ He signed it as ‘Stiles from Earth-Two’ and snorted to himself as he stood up, picking up the spell bag. He went looking for Scott, feeling like he at least owed the other man a goodbye before he left the happy couple to themselves. “Thanks for breakfast.” 

Scott smiled back at him. “It’s not a problem. I’m glad you were here with me.” He exhaled, and then gestured him closer. “C’mere. Give me a hug. It might tide you over until you can get back to your Scott.”

Stiles grinned and hugged Scott. “Thanks. I really hope I get back to him right away, you know? So far, things have been going a little bit sideways when I do this, but I’ve made it back there, before. I’ll have to do it where you’re not, though. I don’t want to accidentally pull you along with me.” 

“I understand.” Scott said softly. “Be safe. Get back to your Scott in one piece.” He stepped back. 

Stiles took a few steps back as well, trying to keep enough distance between them to protect Scott, before he activated the spell by throwing the bag down in front of him.


	5. Two

Stiles looked around a bedroom in need of paint and, judging by the sound of rain water hitting a bucket, roof repair. He eyed the dripping water from the ceiling for a few minutes, then shivered as he got out of bed. The floor was littered with beer bottles and empty pizza boxes, like the former inhabitant of the body he was in hadn’t ever heard of trash bags. His head was pounding and he wandered through the house that he barely recognized as being the one he grew up in, since everything about it was different. The fridge only contained more beer, a half-empty gallon of water, and a package of cheese slices. He ran his hand over his face and grabbed the water, searching for ibuprofen in the kitchen, then the bathroom. He couldn’t find anything, so he grimaced and went back to the kitchen, opening a bottle of beer and allowing himself a sip to make his headache go away. “This is my punishment for deciding that drinking at age ten was a solid plan.” He muttered. He went back into the bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes, then took a shower and got himself dressed. He found a wad of money in a pair of jeans on the floor, sighing in disgust as he went outside. The store wasn’t too far and the weather was nice enough, so he walked there to buy himself some actual food and a box of trash bags. Once he straightened out this sad excuse for himself, he was going to find Scott. 

The cashier watched as Stiles entered the store, blinking languidly before she went back to sorting the candy by the register. She’d seen him around before, but usually refrained from interacting with him in any way other than the way she was supposed to. He usually smelled like stale beer, and it was more than enough to deter her. 

Stiles grabbed a box of trash bags and wandered around the store, picking up a loaf of bread and some dish soap, just because he wasn’t sure if he needed it or not, but it would still be useful in cleaning the house. He counted his money carefully and went to the produce section for a bag of oranges, then carried everything over to the register. “Hey,” he muttered, eyeing the date on the register’s screen. It was June of two thousand thirteen, and his mouth went dry at the realization that he had just graduated from high school and hadn’t seen any sign of his dad in the house. In fact, the condition of the house and the beer bottles everywhere guaranteed that Stiles’ dad wasn’t around. “Holy shit.” He gulped, gripping the edge of the counter. 

The girl eyed him warily. “Are you… uh, okay?” She asked, taking a small step back. 

“No, probably not. Sorry. I’ll just take this stuff and go.” Stiles peeled two twenty dollar bills off of the roll of money that he was still determined not to think much about. He held them out to her, shoving the rest of the money into his pocket. “You can keep the change, too.” 

“Thanks.” She muttered, studying the bills with a small frown. She glanced at Stiles and cashed him out, then looked around warily before she dropped the change into her pocket. “See ya.” She said, looking up again toward the doors as they slid open. 

Allison stepped inside the store, a hard expression on her face as she moved. 

Stiles blinked when he saw her, but he grabbed his grocery bags and thanked the cashier, walking toward Allison because he was relieved to see someone familiar. “Hey, Allison.” 

Allison stopped and stared at him with a frown. “Yes?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh, never mind?” Stiles murmured. “Sorry. I was just saying hello.” He walked outside, sitting on a bench there instead of going straight home. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to stay for a single second, but he felt like this Stiles needed his help, and badly. Maybe that was what brought him here, in the first place. The recent graduate wasn’t friends with Allison, who was still alive, and his dad was gone. Stiles was almost afraid that things would only get worse before they got better. 

“Hello.” Allison had followed him out, looking curious now, though she was still frowning. “You’re… Stiles. Right? Sorry. I don’t…” She exhaled. “You said hi like we talk regularly or something.”

“Yeah, that was my fault.” Stiles muttered. “Sorry I bothered you.” He stood up. “I’m just gonna get home and I’ll see you around. Or, maybe not? Since we’re not exactly friends. Right. Bye.” He walked toward the sidewalk, feeling a new understanding for his other self’s alcoholism. 

Allison stared after him, frowning deeply, and then hurried after him. “You’re right, we’re not friends, we never really talked in high school. But you still said hi to me like we do.” She followed after him, raising an eyebrow. “I want to know why. I’m curious now. I’m probably not going to leave you alone until you tell me.”

Stiles laughed. “Okay, then I’ll tell you, and you’ll probably think I'm insane and then you’ll leave me alone?” He shrugged at her. “I’m a time-traveler. Think more like Quantum Leap than Doctor Who. This particular Stiles, not that you even knew him, has everything all kind of fucked up right now. I’m going to try to sort his shit out for him and find his best friend, because that’s all I really want to do.” 

Allison stared at him for a long moment, and then swallowed. “You… That’s kind of nuts. And kinda sad at the same time. And I’m not sure exactly what you mean by ‘this particular’ Stiles, and I’m not sure why you’re referring to yourself in the third person, like you’re… possessing yourself or something.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it!” Stiles blurted. “I told you that you would think it was insane. I need to get home and clean up. And probably call someone to make some repairs.” 

“Repairs?” Allison asked curiously. “What needs repairing? And notice how I didn’t say that you were insane, I said that ‘that was kind of nuts’. You’re possessing yourself?”

“One of my selves.” Stiles sighed. “My roof. It’s got at least one leak in it that I noticed. I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure my - his dad died. There’s no other reason for him to not be around, and if the roof is leaking, he’s not around. Also, I’m not twenty-one and there are beer bottles everywhere? He’d have kicked my ass from here to Nevada.” 

Allison swallowed roughly. “I can come help you patch the roof. If you want. And, uh. My parents are dead, too. So. I know that feeling.”

“Yeah. That... that makes sense.” Stiles motioned for Allison to walk with him. “How did your dad die?” 

“He was caught in a cave-in.” Allison turned and walked with him. “Underground. A root cellar underneath a really big, really old tree stump collapsed, and…” she faltered. “There were other people there with him, so he wasn’t alone, at least.”

“I’m pretty sure my dad died in there.” Stiles nodded. “It was a thing that could have happened, but I stopped it. Where I’m from, I mean. I had a lot of other people helping me get through everything, back then. You were one of them. It’s a little strange that we don’t know each other, but I guess that’s - did you date Scott, then? Probably not.” 

Allison squinted at him for a moment, and then frowned. “Who’s Scott?”

Stiles needed a moment to speak, and when he did, he couldn’t actually answer her. “Fuck. Fuck! Okay. This is bad. This explains a lot, but it’s bad.” He started walking the rest of the way to his house, no doubt in his mind that she would follow him. “I need to get online and look for him. There’s no fucking way he doesn’t exist in this world.” 

“Okay, probably… but seriously, who is he? What does it explain, and why is it bad that I don’t know who he is?” Allison asked, trailing after him quickly.

“Scott’s my best friend. The only friend I had from age three until age sixteen.” Stiles explained. “Except for this weird two-year gap that we just pretend doesn’t exist. Anyway, where I’m from, originally? You two had this epic love story thing happening. Well, the first time around. The second time, you were step-siblings, so obviously that kind of negated everything. Yeah, I started off just reliving my own life, for reasons. He’s literal walking sunshine and I just found out that I could actually, potentially, be with him. That maybe my Scott would be into that. But then I ended up here, so thanks a lot, universe. I get the message. Without Scott around, my life is shit. Hey, did I even graduate? Did I drop out?” 

Allison’s cheeks turned red from embarrassment, and she cleared her throat. “I don’t… I don’t actually know.” She admitted. “I don’t even really remember the graduation ceremony.”

“Why’s that?” Stiles asked. He unlocked his front door and walked in, turning to face Allison. 

“Because I didn’t go.” Allison muttered, following him in. “There wasn’t anyone to see me graduate. It was always supposed to be my parents in the crowd, watching me get that stupid piece of paper. I mean… I had Lydia for awhile, but then… with her mom and my dad, and I guess your dad, it just…” She rubbed her hands over her face and sighed. “You showed up in a really shitty world.”

“Yeah, seems that way. But now you’ve got me, at least until I figure out how to sort through this mess, and you’ll have Scott. I don’t know if the people I take over have any memory of me, so I’ll probably leave all kinds of notes for this one. He really should stop drinking and grow up a little bit. But I think having you and Scott around will help. If you want to be, I mean. I’m not giving Scott an option.” He smiled. 

Allison smiled back faintly. “Right.” She murmured. “So how are you going to find him?”

“The internet is a thing here, right?” Stiles looked a little worried. “I seriously don’t want to be told that it’s not.” 

“It is.” Allison told him. “But I do have to warn you… we use dial-up.” Her voice was grave, but there was a tiny, barely visible twitched at the corner of her mouth.

Stiles stared at her, then snorted before he burst out laughing. “You’re just rude.” He grinned. “Come help me unload these groceries, would you? Please? I know the place is a mess, that’s why I bought trash bags. Once again, it’s not my mess. Do you want an orange?” 

Allison stared at him, looking a little winded. “You’re the kind of guy whose mind runs at a mile a minute, aren’t you?” She asked him, blinking. “Um. Yes, I’ll take an orange, but not right now. And yeah, I’ll help unload the groceries and clean up and do whatever else.”

“Yeah, I am. I have ADHD. I’m pretty sure that’s coded into my DNA, so I doubt that there’s a single me without it. It’s just multitasking inside my brain, all the time. So I’m thinking about groceries, thinking about oranges and how this fucking drunk moron might have scurvy because the only thing in his fridge was cheese and beer. What is this, Wisconsin?” Stiles snorted. “So I’m going to have an orange and I figured maybe you want one. That’s why I asked. The leak is in the bedroom, by the way. At least, that’s the only one I know about. The bathroom was all right.” He got an orange out of the bag as he spoke, peeling it while he took a minute to stop and think. “And the kitchen seems fine. Grimy, but not in need of a contractor. I had a lot more money than someone who secluded himself should have. Pretty sure that means I'm a drug dealer. It’s not like there’s much else to do around here. Bad decisions all over the place, then. I might have a cell phone somewhere.” 

“There’s another thought, though.” Allison murmured, leaning over the counter for a moment before she reached for an orange. “Maybe you’re not dealing, maybe that’s just insurance money.”

“I feel like it would be pretty low to spend life insurance money from my dad’s death on beer.” Stiles muttered. “But yeah, that’s possible. I’m obviously not working a blue collar job. I look like crap.” He shook his head. “I’ll be right back.” He went into the bedroom, retrieving a cell phone from the top of the dresser, before he returned to the kitchen. He used the facebook app to search for ‘Scott McCall’ in his list of contacts, but there were no results. “Okay.” He held the phone up to show Allison. “So clearly, I don’t know Scott.” 

“I figured.” Allison murmured. “So the next thing to do is a web search, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Stiles hurriedly ate his orange, then rinsed his hands in the sink and dried them on his jeans before he sat down at the table and started looking up information on Scott. “This isn’t fast enough. I used to have a computer. I didn’t see one anywhere.” 

Allison grimaced. “Possible that you might have hocked it?” She suggested, sitting down next to him. She pulled her own phone out and loaded the browser to aid him.

“It wouldn’t surprise me, at this point.” Stiles murmured. “Uh, it’s Scott McCall. Capital m, lowercase c, capital c, all.” 

“Okay.” Allison murmured and input the name into the search bar. She hit enter, and her head tipped to the side as she squinted at the small screen. “Ah. I guess there’s more than one. What am I looking for, description-wise?”

“Half-Mexican, Half-Irish.” Stiles murmured. “He looks like an overgrown puppy. At least, that’s how I knew him. His mom’s a nurse. I don’t see that changing. His dad was a cop here in Beacon Hills, but that’s probably nothing to go on, if he was never here. Try looking for a cop or an FBI agent in the results for his parents. Melissa and Rafael.” 

Allison nodded, inputting the names and hesitating a little on the father’s name - eventually she typed it with a ‘ph’ - before hitting enter. “Bingo.” She murmured as the results came in. Her head tilted the other way, and she smiled faintly. “He’s cute.” She handed her phone over to Stiles. “And he’s not far away.”

Stiles smiled, relieved. “I know this place needs work. And so do I. But... I don’t know. Should I go try to find him now? Should I wait?” 

Allison chewed on her lower lip, pulling the phone back toward her. “I don’t know. But maybe… maybe you should wait.” She glanced at him. “He doesn’t know you, I don’t think. Maybe he’d freak if you showed up at his door. His profile says that he’s lived in Hill Valley all his life, that he was born there. I don’t know if that means he’s ever left town and come to Beacon Hills before, but… I don’t know, Stiles. Maybe we get everything cleaned up here, and then we could… see if we can orchestrate a way for you to ‘accidentally’ run into him there, you know? Because then, it would put you on his radar.”

“That works.” Stiles murmured. “Okay. House first, then me, then Scott.” He nodded. “He looks happy, right? Maybe I shouldn’t... I don’t know.” 

“You said you had a connection to him, right? That he’s been your best friend since diapers?” Allison asked. “I mean, not this Scott, obviously, but at least a Scott?” She glanced down at the picture of the boy with the crooked jaw, caught mid-laugh with his eyes squinting in pleasure, and then looked back up at Stiles, studying him. “He could be happier.”

“Thanks for saying that.” Stiles murmured. He rubbed his hands together and grabbed a trash bag, going into the bedroom to clean up the beer bottles and everything else he could fit into the bag that needed to be removed. He tied the bag shut and carried it and the pizza boxes to the trash bin, outside. 

Allison followed suit, clearing as much junk as she could into one bag before closing it and hauling it outside, and then going back in.

“Thanks.” Stiles repeated as he passed her, carrying more trash outside. He felt embarrassed, even though it wasn’t his mess, because he wasn’t so sure she believed him. 

Allison gave him a small smile and shrugged. “It’s not a problem.” She promised him.

*****

A month later, Stiles’ house had been repaired, but he sold it and moved into a cheap apartment. He had a couple of bad weeks, trying to detox himself, but he started documenting everything in photo albums and journals, for when he moved on and the other Stiles wanted to know what he missed - if he missed anything. He got a part-time job at a bookstore downtown and had attended a couple of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, mostly to get an idea of what they were like. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep going with those. He had Allison’s phone number programmed into his phone, but he didn’t text her very often. He was worried he might bother her if he did his usual thing of sending a multitude of ranting messages about anything that he thought of. All in all, he thought things were getting better enough that he might spend the day in Hill Valley. But he didn’t want to go by himself, so he called her. “Hey, are you busy?” 

“Nope, not at all.” Allison answered. “What’s up?”

“I was thinking that I’d go see Scott today.” Stiles explained. “I could go alone, but I kind of don’t want to. And you helped me find him. Also, I have no other friends.” He smiled. 

“Join the club.” Allison huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll go.” She agreed. “Are you going right now? Do I need to come over, or are you coming to mine?”

“Maybe you could come over here.” Stiles gave her the new address and hung up, then got ready to go meet Scott. 

Allison arrived at his apartment not long after that, texting him that she’d arrived and was in the parking lot. 

Stiles went out to meet her, getting into the car. “Thanks. I have this fear that I’ll see him and it’ll turn out that we did meet for about two minutes and it was horrible and he hates me already.” 

“Nah.” Allison shook her head, putting the car into reverse and backing out before she shifted again and pulled out of the lot. “Not possible. If you guys really have this across-the-universe sort of connection, he’ll feel it. He’ll recognize it for sure.”

“You believe in Disney?” Stiles teased. “I do, sometimes. Kind of hard not to, you know. All those stories about orphans.” 

“Yeah.” Allison murmured. “Guess that makes us a prince and princess, huh? We’re right there. All we need are animal sidekicks.”

“I was thinking of getting a dog, anyway.” Stiles laughed. 

“That’d be nice.” Allison smiled. “The other you had better appreciate the stuff you’re doing for him.”

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t. I’ve kept track of everything. I have a daily schedule for him to follow, too. Try to make him stick to it, please? No matter what. I get up around five am and go for a two mile run, then shower and have a good breakfast. I go to work for six hours a day, go home and - uh, I don’t need to spell it all out for you, it’s outlined and there are alarms for everything on the phone, now. If he keeps up with it, he’ll be busy and in AA. Alcoholics Anonymous AA, not... I mean, those are your initials. Okay, I’m shutting up now.” Stiles looked embarrassed. 

Allison grinned at him softly and nodded. “I’m going to do my absolute best to make him stick to it. And I’ll just have to kick his ass if he deters from it.”

Stiles grinned back at her. “Thanks for ignoring that last part.” 

Allison laughed softly and gave him a thumbs-up without looking away from the road. “No problem.” She teased.

Stiles was grateful for Allison’s company on the drive out to Hill Valley. He knew Scott’s address because he was a creepy stalker and always had been, but he wasn’t sure how to introduce himself to his would-be best friend. “Okay, how does this work? Do I just knock on the door and tell him he’s my soulmate?” He laughed. 

Allison laughed. “Okay, let’s think about this. Think about how your Scott would react to that.” She looked at him for a second. “I mean, would he run like hell, would he argue about it with you, would he tilt his head and kind of be, like, ‘yeah, okay’? And then factor in the knowledge that this Scott doesn’t know you. How would he react to being confronted by a guy he’s never met before suddenly showing up on his doorstep?” She paused, furrowing her brows. “Is magic involved with you two? I mean, is he going to open the door and just sense something, do you think?”

“I don’t know, maybe? I mean, my Scott and I, and at least one other version of us? We met when he was making a sand castle in a sandbox and I peed on it. We were three. Somehow, that made us best friends. My initials are the inverse of his. I mean, maybe that means nothing, but it always meant something to me.” Stiles was lost in thought for a moment. “I always kind of liked him, I just didn’t realize how much until I found out that he and I were together. Well, another us. But still.” 

Allison smiled faintly, thinking. “So maybe that is pretty magic.” She murmured. “Maybe that’s something in the universe working its ass off, waving its arms around and saying, ‘Hey, right here, this one, he’s yours.’ Not many people get that much, so for you, I mean, that’s…” She exhaled. “Maybe it is a good idea to just plow right ahead and tell him who you are. Is that what you did the last time?”

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. “He is pretty chill when I tell him who I am, anyway. But he already knew me, then. It wasn’t the same thing. It won’t be, I mean. Three year old behavior is a far cry from ours. I mean, I could just go pee through his mail slot like I’m on Misfits, but I don’t know if he’d get the reference.” 

Allison snorted. “Depends on if he watches the show, but I wouldn’t risk it.”

“I guess I’ll just knock and play it by ear.” Stiles’ breath caught in his throat as they pulled up in front of Scott’s house. He got out and walked up to the door, knocking lightly. 

Scott, as luck would have it, was the one to open the door. He poked his head out curiously, tilting his head when he saw Stiles, and lifted his eyebrows. “Hi? Can I help you?”

“My name is Stiles.” Stiles began. “I know this is going to sound like I’m crazy when I ask, but did you have a best friend, growing up?”

Scott furrowed his brow, shaking his head. “No. I had really bad asthma as a kid. It sounds pathetic, but most other kids didn’t want anything to do with me, so I never…” He shrugged.

“I didn’t have any friends, either. I think you and I were supposed to be friends.” Stiles blurted. 

“How do you figure?” Scott asked, blinking at Stiles. “I mean… Where are you from?”

“Beacon Hills.” Stiles felt like he was going about everything all wrong. “Can I start over with this?”

“Uh… sure.” Scott agreed, nodding. “Go for it. Oh, but maybe let’s sit down?” He peered around Stiles and frowned a little at Allison. “... Is your friend just gonna kind of sit there and stare or is she gonna come inside, too?”

“I have no idea.” Stiles turned and waved at Allison. 

Allison rolled her window down and poked her head out curiously, staring at Stiles with both eyebrows raised. “Do I wave back?” She teased him. “Are you telling me to go? What’s up?”

“Are you coming in?” Stiles asked. “Or waiting out here for me? So I don’t have to walk home?”

“I’ll come in.” Allison replied. “And I wouldn’t let you walk home, anyway.” She rolled the window back up and climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind her and making her way up to the porch.

Stiles gave Scott a hesitant smile. “Okay. Are we sitting out here?”

Scott stepped back from the door. “No, come in.” He murmured, gesturing them inside.

Stiles looked excited, feeling like he was three years old all over again. “Thanks.”

Scott smiled back and waited for them to enter.

Allison smiled crookedly and stepped past the threshold into the house before stepping to the side and waiting for Stiles.

Stiles looked around, expecting to see relics of Scott’s childhood, some defining photos that Stiles could use as verification that while this Scott wasn’t his, he was close enough. 

Scott took a seat on the couch, waiting expectantly for the other two to sit down as well. After a moment, he smiled at them both, then looked at Stiles and said, “So… go ahead. What were you wanting to say?”

Stiles sat on the couch and took a deep breath. “Do you believe in alternate realities?”

Scott furrowed his brows at Stiles, his head tilting to the side. “Um… I’m not sure. It kinda seems really… sci-fi-ish? But it is kind of cool, imagining other things out there, other realities, other mes. So… maybe.”

“I feel like no matter what, I’m screwing this up.” Stiles murmured, giving Allison a pleading look. 

Allison smiled gently at Stiles, patting his knee before looking at Scott. “Stiles is from a different reality. You were best friends with him in that reality, and it kinda turns out that you maybe could’ve been more. In this reality, though, he grew up in Beacon Hills, but I guess you’ve lived here all your life. So you never met.”

Scott listened to Allison with slightly wide eyes as she spoke, his gaze darting toward Stiles several times. “Is that… is that true?”

Stiles nodded. “I guess the me from here has had it really rough. He had a drinking problem, he lost both of his parents, one at a time in a ten year span, and he didn’t have any friends until a month ago.” He gestured to Allison. “A month ago is when I got here. Now he has a job, a home that won’t remind him of his losses, he’s sober and he needs you. I don’t mean that you’re somehow responsible for him. It’s just that it’s obvious that without you around, he’s really messed up.”

“But… but how do you know that I could make him better?” Scott stuttered, looking overwhelmed. “I mean - what if I make it worse? What if I’m not - wait, what do you mean, the ‘me from here’? Why isn’t he here?”

“Uh, I sort of... took over his body.” Stiles shrugged. 

“Oh.” Scott furrowed his brows. “Okay. Well. I mean, I still have the same questions.”

“I’m probably going to confuse you by switching pronouns a few times in this explanation. I tend to do that.” Stiles began. “Scott and I are sort of like two sides of the same coin. Or more like, yin and yang, since those things actually exist together and meet in the middle, you know? If there was a problem we had to deal with, I’d have one solution and he’d have another, and we would use both of our ideas to formulate a few plans, for whatever situation we were in. You and Stiles have both grown up pretty much on your own because you never met, but I bet that if you got picked on in school, you cowered and he used his words as weapons. Because that’s what my Scott and I did. And when he got bullied, when we were six? I fought those other kids off. I kept him safe when I could. And when he... when he could return the favor? He did. When being nicer was the way to go, he showed me that it could still work on people. That being rude from the start didn’t always help. I’m going to guess that even though you didn’t have friends, you were still kind to everyone. Unless they were really awful and didn’t deserve you being nice, but even then, you didn’t resort to violent means. But where that - where we’re different, we’re the same. If a thing goes wrong that we thought we could fix preemptively, we blame ourselves. You took care of your mom and I took care of my dad. Here, Stiles’ dad is gone and he seriously doesn’t have anyone else. Or at least, he didn’t. He has Allison now, even after I move on and he’s himself again. I hope he’ll have you, too. But it might take some work on your part, because I’m a stubborn asshole most of the time. I don’t see this guy being any different.” 

Scott rubbed at his eyes and swallowed roughly, nodding tentatively. “I… I mean, I’ll try. At least I’m not too far from Beacon Hills.” He stared at Stiles. “I’m gonna do my best.”

Stiles grinned at Scott. “I believe you. I guess that means I should go and let you get to it? I don’t want to skew things. You should get to know him, not me.” 

Scott twisted his fingers together and nodded slowly. “But… maybe, I mean, you’re still him. Right? Just different experiences and stuff. So… if you wanted to stay and talk for a little bit, or… um, give me your - his - number so that I have it, then… I wouldn’t mind.”

Stiles nodded back and gave Scott the phone number that his host Stiles had, hope building that the two of them might date. This Scott seemed interested. “I’ll talk about anything. I don’t have any boundaries.” 

“Okay.” Scott murmured, glancing sideways at Allison for a moment. “Sorry. I didn’t forget that you were here or anything, it just feels like this is, um. Well.”

Allison grinned, waving at him. “No, no, by all means, talk. I’ll just be nosy and listen. And occasionally butt in when Stiles needs me to.”

Stiles laughed. “Actually, I was thinking about asking Scott if he wanted to go get coffee.” 

“Oh, yeah, sure, go ahead.” Allison snorted.

Scott looked a little shy, ducking his head with a smile. “I’d like that.”

“Yeah? Is there a place we can walk to?” Stiles stood up, wondering if he could stay, if that wouldn’t be some kind of violation of his other self’s rights. 

Scott nodded, and then glanced at Allison uncertainly. “I mean… if that’s alright? You can come, too, but…”

Allison waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

Stiles looked apologetic. “I promise to talk to you about this later.” He said bluntly. “Over ice cream?” 

Allison’s lips twitched. “Go get to know your soulmate and we’ll worry about that after.” She nodded in agreement. “Go on.” She reached out and squeezed his shoulder, and then beamed at Scott.

Stiles walked outside, waiting for Scott, but also for Allison to leave. He wasn’t sure if that was the nicest thing, but probably more kind than expecting her to sit in her car and wait. 

Scott gestured ahead of him for Allison to step out of the house, giving her a tentative smile back before joining Stiles.

Allison moved toward Stiles, her keys in her hand. “Give me a call when you’re ready to head back, okay?” She murmured. “I’ll be driving around and trying to refrain from buying out the mall.”

Stiles grinned and hugged Allison. “Thank you so much for this.” 

Allison hugged him back, smiling softly. “What are friends for?” She asked, then winked and pecked his cheek before pulling away and getting into her car.

Stiles turned toward Scott. “I’m really glad you agreed to listen to me. You have no idea.” 

Scott shrugged, looking back at him. “I didn’t really have a reason not to. I invited you to come in and talk, the least I could do was hear you out. A lot of it still seems… really out there, but there’s a few things that you couldn’t have known about me if I hadn’t told you to your face.”

“Yeah, there’s that.” Stiles smiled hesitantly. “It’s not the easiest thing for me, traveling like this. I was fine, sort of, but I got into an argument of sorts with my Scott. I mean, we quit talking. And I thought I could go back and fix it, but I had been drinking and I was so upset that I just wanted to go anywhere else, at that point. And then I did. I don’t know if I can ever get back. So until I can, or even if I can’t? I’m just going to keep traveling to other Stiles’ bodies and trying to fix anything in their life that might be wrong.” 

Scott smiled faintly. “It’s a good thing to do for yourself.” He paused, blinking. “In more ways than one, I guess. You’re making sure you’re happy in other realities until - holy god, it’s like you’re actual in Quantum Leap.” He blurted.

Stiles laughed. “Yes! I have to keep explaining that to everyone. Thank god you got it.” 

Scott grinned. “My mom used to watch it with me when I was younger. I mean, she still does, she thinks it’s corny but awesome. I never thought I’d experience it in real life, though.”

“I’m on my own with this. It would be nice to have my own Al.” Stiles snorted. “And I’d ask you, but I have already messed up enough lives by hopping around different realities like this. I think you should stay here. But I already think I’ll miss you. For what it’s worth.” 

Scott smiled gently. “It’s actually worth a lot.” He said. “And… you’ve still got awhile. And you asked me out to coffee, so… you’re not going anywhere just yet, buddy.”

“That’s true.” Stiles agreed. “What do you want to know? I think I’d like to talk about me, but I should probably talk about him, instead.” He waved a hand at the body he was occupying, to indicate he meant the Stiles he was borrowing. “Just so you have an idea of what he’s like. But I mean, either way?” 

“I’m good with anything.” Scott told him, nodding. “Um… Well, you’ve told me a little bit about him, so tell me about you now. Anything you want to say, I’m not picky. I’d be happy if you talked about pets you have.”

“Oh, I don’t have any.” Stiles looked embarrassed, feeling like he had somehow committed a crime. “I used to have a pet snake. I’m thinking of getting a dog for this guy, though. Maybe one day, I’ll get one of my own. Whenever I get back there. If I ever do. I can’t take one with me. Uh, I’m getting one for him, probably, because he could use all the responsibilities he can handle. But that’s more about him and you didn’t want that.” He shrugged. “I didn’t start off traveling like this. I got myself into a bad situation and I was going to die, so I went back in time to try to fix all the things that led me to that point. Friends of mine needed help and I knew what decisions they definitely shouldn’t make, so I guided them to make better choices. And then, I don’t know if it was a fluke or a punishment or what, but I was sixteen for the second time and got kind of yanked forward to being twenty-nine. It scared me enough that I thought I had better go back and try again. So I did, but I’d only been at it for a few months when I realized that my Scott - uh, see, he traveled with me both times - he didn’t want to do it anymore. He wanted a nice, normal life that didn’t act like a broken record, with all the skipping around. So I told him to sit out, that I’d handle it. But we didn’t have a lot to say to one another after that, and I had a party to make sure everyone we knew could be friends earlier than when I actually, originally met them. He didn’t really talk to me, so I got drunk and ended up going somewhere else. And then _that_ Scott was that Stiles’ boyfriend or husband, I didn’t get any real clarification on the distinction. They’d been together since they were fifteen or sixteen, and he kissed me before he knew I wasn’t the right Stiles. I tried to go along with it because I wasn’t sure what else to do, and then I gave up and told him the truth. I hadn’t ever thought of you, or any other Scott, as being a potential anything, other than friend, I mean. But now I want to get back and see if maybe he feels that way. I don’t know what I’m going to do if he doesn’t. Suffer quietly?” He snorted. “Sorry, I talk a lot. Pretty sure that’s a constant, not a variable.” 

Scott reached out and squeezed Stiles’ hand without thinking twice. “It’s cool, I don’t have a problem with that at all. I’m not exactly a motormouth or anything, so… someone else filling the silence is kinda nice.” He exhaled slowly, thinking. “It kind of sounds like the universe is - it’s not trying to wave what you could have in your face or anything, it seems like it’s actively trying to encourage you to grab it. Grab - me, I mean.” He flushed, and then furrowed his brows together. “So what exactly went different here, that we didn’t end up friends? I mean… I was born here, that’s a part of it. Was your Scott born in Beacon Hills? Or somewhere else?”

“Beacon Hills. We met when we were three. Preschool. Every time we talk about it, we talk about this day when he was building a sand castle and I peed on it. Ruined the whole thing. But the reason I did that was because we had just had a nap, and we had the same sneakers, and our moms had the same method of putting our initials on our shoes, so we could tell left and right apart. Except that your initials are S.M. and mine are M.S. I was furious with you for taking one of my shoes, even though I still don’t know if it was actually my shoe. So that whole pee thing was my form of vengeance.” Stiles smiled. 

Scott snorted. “So what you’re saying is that you were a mischievous little shit with a penchant for holding a grudge?” He teased, grinning.

“Was?” Stiles laughed, nodding. “I still am, I guess. Watching this person in my friends’ history get arrested for attempting to kill them was great both times.” 

Scott blinked, looking startled. “You stopped a murderer?” He blurted, his eyes wide.

“Yeah. See, my friend Derek lost almost his entire family, and then he suffered the loss of his older sister a few years later, as the result of what had happened to the rest of their family. And he couldn’t trust one of the last remaining members of his family he had. He had nobody, really. There was another sister, but she decided she didn’t want anything to do with him. He had a rough life, and I thought I’d try to help him out by making sure he got to keep his relatives around.” 

“Geez.” Scott said softly. “Poor guy.” He stared at Stiles for a moment. “That was really good of you.”

“Thanks. It was a little self-serving, though.” Stiles saw the coffee shop, so he opened the door for Scott, but kept talking. “See, that fire was the catalyst for something that happened to my Scott, years later. Right after Derek’s older sister died. But that was also sort of my fault? Scott’s incident, not the death thing. It’s kind of a long story.” 

Scott wandered toward the counter, waiting for Stiles before he placed an order, and then stood to the side expectantly. “You can tell me. I’m listening.”

Stiles ordered a cinnamon hazelnut coffee and moved to stand by Scott again. He lowered his voice, feeling a little awkward. Even though this Scott was willing to believe in the idea of Quantum Leap being a real thing that Stiles was enduring, he wasn’t so sure that werewolves would be as easily accepted. “Derek’s family had werewolves in it, and one of them bit Scott and turned him, and it was all because I convinced him to come to the woods with me, to look for Derek’s sister’s corpse. At the time, I only thought of it as a body, not a person. I regret that. I’ve met Laura. I like her. She was kind of reserved at times, but she was a good person and she had her moments of being really awesome and not caring what other people thought about her. So because of the fire, Derek’s uncle lost his mind, then bit Scott. Then...” He stopped to get his coffee, sitting at a table and waiting for Scott to join him before he continued. “Then Scott met Allison. Yes, that Allison.” Stiles answered the question that he was certain Scott was going to ask. 

Scott blinked at him. “Seriously?” He asked, glancing out the window like he thought she’d be standing there. “But… I thought you said that we were…” He sank down slowly, his eyes widening. “Werewolves?”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured. “Then Derek decided to make more werewolves, so he could have a pack again. He was really bad at being a leader, but he was scared and desperate. Scott made him see that he didn’t have to be so harsh with everyone. We were trying to save our town from someone who decided to use Derek, and he really didn’t need that happening to him again. I was angry with him at the time because my dad’s life was at risk, and so was Scott’s mom’s.” He cringed. “Shit, sorry.” 

Scott swallowed roughly. “It’s okay.” He said. “Keep going, I want to know what you’ve gone through.”

Stiles looked relieved and put his hand over Scott’s, gauging his reaction. Even so, he still felt the need to ask, “Is this okay?” 

Scott nodded, looking nervous. “Yeah,” he said softly, and then huffed out a small laugh. “I mean, I just did it to you, so…”

“Right.” Stiles murmured, embarrassed. “Well, they were in a bad situation, along with Allison’s dad, and we had to sacrifice ourselves to stop this ritual that a darach was going to perform, and it left me open to possession. Obviously, I’m not quite okay with this.” He gestured to his chest with his free hand. “But I’m just trying to help and move on.” He reached for his cup of coffee and blew on it, trying to get it to cool off faster. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. But when I was possessed by this thing, it fed on fear and pain. Chaos. And it killed Allison. It made me hurt you. I mean, him. I wanted to die. I told him not to save me if it meant saving everyone else, instead.” He rubbed his eye, startled when he realized he was crying a little. “Oh god, I’m sorry.” 

Scott’s eyes were gentle, and he clapped his other hand down on top of Stiles’, so that it was sandwiched between both of his. He squeezed gently. “You don’t have to keep going.” He said softly. “I’m not going to force you to do it.”

“Okay. Maybe in a little bit.” Stiles murmured. “I mean... I don’t know. It probably won’t help. I don’t even know everything that this Stiles has been through. I know a few things. I really hope he doesn’t know about werewolves. But he probably does.” 

“He didn’t keep any records or anything?” Scott asked curiously. “Just nothing at all?”

“No, nothing I’ve found. Which is weird, sort of. I mean, his dad died and he let the house get messed up. It didn’t look like it was brand new damage, either. He dropped out of high school. So it must have been before he did that. If it was me, I’d be destructive in all the ways. I can only assume he was. Any record he had of anything, he probably shredded and burned. When I, uh, leaped? He was surrounded by beer bottles. I’ve spent a month here already, helping him get sober. I don’t want him to be miserable. I asked Allison to make sure he keeps going to work and AA meetings. Even if he wasn’t really an alcoholic, he needs to see what they’re like. He needs to clean up after himself and stop acting like he’s the one who died.” 

Scott looked down at the table. “A lot of people have different ways of reacting when someone close to them dies.” He murmured. “Not all of it is healthy, you know? You - him, I mean - He was… well, if it’s the same for you, then you’re really close to your dad, and so was he. And losing him in high school must have been completely devastating to him, especially if your mom wasn’t around, too?” He shot Stiles a questioning look, but continued. “You said you - he - had no one at all until Allison. I’m making an assumption. I’m not saying that reacting the way he did was okay, but… it was kind of understandable, at least from my point of view. What you’re doing for him now, helping him get back on track, helping him have a life again, helping him have something to care about, people to care about again… that’ll make a difference. It won’t replace his dad, nothing could, but… at least you’re helping him see that life doesn’t just stop just because someone he loved is gone.”

“Yeah. I don’t know how she died or left here.” Stiles agreed, referring to his mom. “She left once, instead of dying. I guess, no matter what, she just wasn’t meant to stick around. It’s okay. I always had my dad and you, and a few other people. Mostly you.” He murmured, smiling crookedly. “Well, him. You know, this isn’t the easiest thing, trying to remember that there’s a difference. The last you I visited said that it didn’t matter what reality I found myself in, every Scott was connected to every Stiles. Going from that to this, and knowing that we never met, was frustrating. I found you on facebook and sort of stalked you. I thought, even if you didn’t want me around, even if you thought I was crazy, at least I would have tried.” 

Scott huffed out a startled laugh. “Well… for what it’s worth, I’m glad you found me. I’m glad you tried.”

“Me too. I worry about how he’s going to react when I’m gone, though.” Stiles murmured. “Because I sold that house after the roof was fixed. All the money is in his bank account, but I paid for his apartment for a year. So he doesn’t have the house anymore, but it was kind of killing him to stay there. He needed to move on. He might not agree with me. I think if I ever get back and find out that someone messed with my life in any way, I’d be furious, too.” 

Scott licked his lips nervously. “Well… when you go, we - Allison and I - we’ll just have to make sure that we’re there with him when he finds out. Right? Maybe we can… temper his reaction a little?”

“I was hoping.” Stiles smiled. He looked down at their hands on the table, then back up at Scott. “Do you want me to stay a little longer?” 

Scott smiled back softly, his cheeks reddening a little as he looked down at their hands, too. “If you wouldn’t mind.” He said quietly.

“I definitely don’t mind.” Stiles nodded. 

“Okay.” Scott murmured, his smile widening as he looked at him. “Cool.”

***

A few weeks later, Stiles came back into the apartment from his run, going into the bathroom to take a shower. It was late summer and the air felt almost sticky with precipitation. He was looking forward to the rain, since the regular customers were the only ones who came into the bookstore on days like this, and it meant that he could sit and read if he wanted to. 

Scott waved at him from the living room, where he’d been buried in magazines and flipping through tv stations for the better part of a few hours. “Hey!” He called. “Feel like ordering in? I’m kinda feeling tacos right now.”

Stiles ignored the slight twist of guilt in his stomach as he crossed the room and kissed Scott, since it wasn’t his body that he was using for that purpose. “Tacos sound great. I don’t have to go to the store for another two hours.” 

Scott grinned up at him, kissing him back. “We could mix it up a little. Two carnitas, two shrimp, two beef.” He tugged Stiles down to sit next to him, and then blinked a little, his head tilted. “Dude, I’m really hungry.”

“I noticed.” Stiles teased, leaning against Scott. He grabbed his phone and placed the order for the food he and Scott wanted, then smiled and closed his eyes for a moment. “It’s been really good, being here with you.” 

Scott sighed contentedly, snuggling against his side. “It is. I’m happy. I mean, I’m - really happy.” He told him, smiling. 

“I am, too. But I feel bad about it. I mean, being with you is great. I really like you being here. I would ask you to move in, except - you know. It’s not really for me to do that. He’ll have to do it. I’ve been here almost two months and I think I’ve handled everything I possibly can. I am going to miss you.” 

Scott’s face was falling, and he sighed. “Oh. Right.” He murmured, and then tried for a shaky smile. “Time to save the next you. Or me.” He twined his fingers’ around Stiles’, playing with them a little. “When do you think you’re going to go?”

“I want to do it after this bookstore shift.” Stiles bit his lip. “No, I actually don’t want to go at all, but that’s unfair. I have to keep reminding myself that this body isn’t mine, even though it looks identical to the one that is mine. I want you and Allison there, because I’m worried about how he’ll react. I don’t know if he’s been aware of anything. It’s not like we’ve been communicating in the past two months.” 

Scott nodded, swallowing hard. “Maybe he’s taken, like… a backseat through all of this. Like, he’s there, but he’s just along for the ride, and then once you’re… gone, he’ll be there?”

“Yeah. I hope so, anyway. The idea of me leaving and leaving nothing behind has me a little freaked out.” Stiles blurted. “What if all I’m doing is messing everything up for everyone?” 

“I don’t think you are.” Scott said quietly. “This Stiles, his life was bad. You’re fixing it. I mean, as best as it can be fixed.”

“Except if I go and there’s nobody left behind...” Stiles sighed. “I wouldn't even know.” 

Scott sighed and squeezed his arm. “If there was a way I could get in contact with you when you were gone, just to let you know how things are… I would do it.”

“Maybe I can make one.” Stiles snorted. “I’m not very good at that sort of thing. I know someone who is, though. She might not know me. Want to go for a drive?” 

Scott squeezed his hand lightly. “Maybe after we eat.” He murmured. “Before you have to go to work.”

“Right. It’s been so quiet around here. I’m too used to everything being urgent, and everything else taking a backseat to that.” 

Scott smiled faintly. “Maybe when you get back to your Scott, you’ll have gotten used to it?” He suggested.

“That would be really good.” Stiles kissed Scott again. “You mean a lot to me too, you know?” 

Scott nuzzled him. “I know.” He said softly. “I… I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I want to offer you a chance to come with me.” Stiles admitted. “But that wouldn’t be fair to you, either. I don’t know what I’m doing, half the time. It’s like, no matter which you I’m around, I need you. But as bad as that sounds, it’s like - I didn’t want to intrude on the last one’s life any more than I had. I was only there a few hours.” 

Scott rubbed his eyes with one hand. “I would like nothing more than to come with you.” He said honestly. “I would. But… I think you’re better off leaving me here.” He went silent, thinking before he spoke again. “Everywhere you go from here on out, you’ll be jumping into another version of you. Maybe his life might be terrible, maybe his life will be great. Maybe he’ll be happy, maybe he’ll be miserable. Maybe you can fix everything… maybe you can only fix a few things. But you won’t be alone. You came here, completely alone, and within days, you had me and Allison. And… I’ll bet - I know - that you’ll have them everywhere else you go, too.”

Stiles grinned. “And this is why he needs you. Words of wisdom.” He answered the door to get their food, bringing it back to the coffee table. “I need to find Lydia Martin. I can go, once I’ve had a talk with her.”

“She’s the one who came with you and your Stiles the first two times, right?” Scott asked. “Where would she be in this universe, do you think?”

“She’s either here or at MIT already.” Stiles mused. “Unless things went to hell for her.”

“Well…” Scott reached for a taco and took a bite, thinking before he chewed, swallowed, and set it aside. “Easiest way to find out is to look her up, right?”

“Yeah, But she’ll be harder to find than you were. But that means I’ll be here at least that long.” Stiles grinned. “And that’s good. If you can spare the time to come with me, if she is in Boston, that would also be good.” 

Scott smiled back at him. “Well, let’s find out.”

Stiles thought about kissing Scott again, but then he reminded himself that he was only making things worse, every time he did that. He got up after he finished his food, going into his room for his laptop and doing a search for Lydia. It took a few different word combinations, but he found out that she was working for the next few weeks at a restaurant he hadn’t ever been to. He wrote down the address, then put it into his phone. “I guess it’s a good thing you’re really hungry.” He told Scott. “We need to go out to dinner.” 

Scott’s lips twitched. “Let’s make a date. How about Friday night?” He teased. “Friday’s a good date night.”

“Okay.” Stiles agreed. “Our first official date, then. This Friday. Seven o’clock? And you can pick me up.” He laughed. 

Scott laughed, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Stiles’ mouth without thought. “Sounds good to me.” He murmured.

***

Stiles finished getting ready for his date around six o’clock. He had started early, his nerves getting the best of him, and had to wait for Scott to arrive. He sat on the couch and thought about how he should approach Lydia and explain his situation to her. He thought that if anyone could help him figure out what he was supposed to do with each jump into a new Stiles, Lydia would be that person. 

Scott knocked on the door, then called in, “Hey! It’s me. I’m here.” There was a pause, and then Scott added giddily, “For our _date_!”

Stiles laughed as he opened the door. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at Scott’s clothes. It wasn’t as though the other guy looked like a slob at any other time, but seeing him dressed up for a date that the two of them were going on made Stiles smile warmly. He had, in what was essentially lifetimes ago, helped Scott get ready for a date with Allison. It didn’t make him feel at all like this. 

Scott swallowed, staring at Stiles and taking a deep, shaky breath. “Hi.” He said softly, his eyes traveling up and down Stiles’ body, like he was trying to take in everything about him all at once. “You… you look fantastic.”

“So do you.” Stiles’ voice was rough in his throat, and he cleared it nervously, smiling again. 

Scott stepped closer, holding his arm out, and then wrapped it around Stiles’ waist. He brought the other one up as well, hugging him for a few minutes silently, his face buried against the other man’s throat. “Are you good to go?” He asked softly.

“Yeah, I am.” Stiles ran a hand up and down Scott’s back. “We probably should, before staying here get too tempting.” 

Scott laughed softly. “It already kind of is. But I know you want to find Lydia. And I’m starving.” He pulled away, taking Stiles’ hand and threading their fingers together. “Let’s go.”

Stiles walked down the hall and out to the car with Scott, not even bothering to hide that he was staring at his date. “Yeah, this is going to be one of those dinners where we just order it to go, I think. I can talk to Lydia while we wait and then we can get out of there. I mean, if you want to.” 

Scott stopped by his car’s passenger side and ducked his head, grinning. “I definitely don’t mind.” He told Stiles. “Want is a very strong, accurate word.”

Stiles stifled a groan and leaned toward Scott for a kiss. “I’ll probably feel a little guilty for it later, but for now? I don’t care.” 

Scott laughed and kissed him back, cupping his cheek. “I don’t have a problem with that, either.”

Stiles’ lips curved up into another smile. After kissing Scott a few more times, he grimaced and pulled away, but not because of their actions. Not exactly. “We’re going to be late and they’ll give away our table. I know we’re getting our food to go, but yeah.” 

Scott pressed his hand lightly against his own forehead and laughed quietly before moving around to the driver’s side and climbing in. “Yes. Yeah. Let’s go.”

Stiles fastened his seatbelt while he gave Scott directions to the restaurant. He rubbed the back of his neck, taking a deep breath. 

Scott pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, following Stiles’ directions intently until his saw the restaurant’s bright lights and sign coming up on the right. Slowly, he turned into the parking lot and took a spot a little further away from the entrance. He shut the car off and looked at Stiles, nodding toward the restaurant, before opening the door and sliding out. “In we go.”

Stiles nodded and got out of the car. He walked around to Scott’s side of the car, reaching for his hand. He felt homesick for a moment, missing his own Scott and wondering if he would get back to that one before Scott would ever know he was gone, or if he was destined to return years later, when Scott had moved on and accepted that Stiles was gone. 

Scott squeezed his hand around Stiles’, shutting his door. He gave the other man a smile and started toward the restaurant, only pausing when they reached the hostess stand inside.

Lydia looked up at Scott and Stiles. “Hi. Do you have a reservation?” 

“We do.” Stiles smiled. “It should be under Stilinski.” 

Scott smiled at her, too, his eyes searching her face. He glanced briefly at Stiles, and then looked back at Lydia. “You’re really pretty.” He blurted, and then promptly blushed. “I mean - I’m not saying that to get anywhere with you. I’m on a date. But you are. And I felt like it should be acknowledged.”

Lydia gave Scott a bemused look, grabbing two menus. “I’ll show you to your table.” She led them over to a window with a great view of the river. “Your waitress will be right with you.” 

“Actually, we need to talk to you.” Stiles blurted. “Or at least, I do. You’re great at math and science and I have a problem. I really think you’re the only person who can fix it.” 

“Does it have anything to do with how I’m really pretty?” Lydia asked skeptically, but she smiled afterward. 

“No, it’s seriously about math and science.” Stiles insisted. “If you can get a break while we’re here, please come back and talk to me.” 

Scott looked embarrassed, but nodded in encouragement. “Please do. I’m sorry, I kind of faltered, and my mouth went ahead of my brain.”

“He does that a lot.” Stiles added. “But it’s adorable, seriously. I’m probably biased, though.” 

Lydia gave them a curious look. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

Scott beamed at her happily. “Thank you!”

Lydia walked away from the table without another word, and Stiles found himself wondering if she was going to call the police and have him arrested. Since he had figured out that here, his father was deceased, he hadn’t bothered going near the station. He didn’t want to mourn someone who, in his world, was still alive. Stiles reached for Scott’s hand and glanced at the river, watching as the water splashed over large stones. “If I could be locked on one particular day, out of the Scotts I’ve met and the things I’ve done, I think I’d still pick being here right now. There’s no real guarantee that Scott from my world wants me. He’s indicated, by the girls he’s dated, that he’s heterosexual. So I could stay here. I’ve given it thought, these past few weeks. I’ve got a good job, a great boyfriend - I mean, if you want to be?” 

Scott smiled at him softly, tilting his head to kiss Stiles’ shoulder. “You know I would. You know it. If I could keep you here forever, with me, always, I would. But I think that part of you is always… going to wish that you were by your Scott’s side. I would never doubt how you feel about me, but maybe if you can’t get back to your Scott… it might be something you’d regret. Stopping. Staying in one spot. Not getting the chance to see if he’d at least… look at you the way that I know I do.”

“Then it’s probably for the best that I was kind of planning to leave tomorrow?” Stiles admitted, feeling sheepish. “I don’t want to. But today’s been great, and tonight will be, and I don’t want to ruin it by even one more second than I absolutely have to. I’ll call Allison and have her come to the apartment tomorrow. I’m sort of expecting that you’ll still be there, even if me saying this is killing the mood.” 

Scott turned toward Stiles and hugged him, resting his head against the other man’s shoulder with a sigh. “I’ll be there.”

When the waitress came, Stiles ordered drinks for himself and Scott, then explained that they were planning to get their food to go. As much as he had wanted to spend his last night with Scott, just touching him, he knew that they would more than likely end up cuddling on the couch and talking all night. He didn’t mind. 

Lydia was the one who brought their drinks. She sat on the other side of the table. “All right, explain this to me. Are you having trouble with a math class?” 

“No.” Stiles said bluntly. “Time travel. I want to know why I end up where I do, and how to figure out the best way to achieve whatever the goal is that I’m there to complete.” 

Lydia stared blankly. “I think it’s possible that you used acid a few too many times while you were watching science fiction tv shows, and it confused you.” 

“He knows about MIT and the Fields Medal.” Scott told her bluntly. 

Stiles grinned as Lydia looked surprised. “Yeah, I’ve obviously told other people. I can transfer my consciousness, for lack of a more religious term, into other versions of myself. But I don’t do it deliberately. The leaving, yes. Where I end up is pretty much up to the universe, I think. I’ve managed to bring other people’s... uh, spirits? Along with me. But I want to know how to bring tangible things. Like a device that I think you could probably build me in the next fourteen hours or so.” 

Lydia laughed. “I’m just now finding out that time travel is real, assuming you’re not full of crap, and you think I can create some kind of gizmo to help you? Like what, a TARDIS?” 

“Not that, but yes.” Stiles said firmly. “Because you’re Lydia Martin, you’re a genius and you can do anything.” 

Scott smiled at her gently. “He’s got a lot of faith in you, whether you remember him or not. He always has, even when you weren’t friends in his world.”

“I’ve already clocked out.” Lydia murmured. “I don’t know that you can physically transfer something with you, when you haven’t been able to physically transport yourself. But you could probably locate a device in every universe you visit. They’re all you, so they all exist along the same time frame, don’t they?” 

“Yes.” Stiles looked relieved, squirming a little in his eagerness to get her advice. 

“Great.” Lydia continued. “Then what you do is this. You go wandering around the home location for any of your selves, and there will be a rectangular piece of technology. It’s called a cell phone, and it will have a list of contacts.” 

Stiles sighed, his shoulders slumping. “You’re always mean. That’s never going to change.” 

“Call the next me and complain to her.” Lydia commented, getting up from the table and walking away. 

Scott looked at Stiles, licking his lips, then stood up and hurried after Lydia. “Hey - please, please stop.” He begged her. “Listen, I know it’s insane, I know it’s… I mean, it’s not like I was wholly certain of what he was saying, either, but there were things about me that he knew that he would never have known unless I told him. I grew up in an entirely different town than he did, but in his world, we grew up together, I was his best friend, and he knows me, he knows everything about me. He knows you, too. And Allison Argent. Where he’s from, we’re all together as friends. He risked coming out here to find you because he knew that if there was anyone that could help him out with anything he needed to do when he leaps, it would be you. Not me, not Allison. You. He knows you’re that smart, and he knows that you love a challenge. He’s not insane. Please, Lydia, just… just give him a chance, just… please.”

“Fourteen hours is not enough time.” Lydia protested. “I need to know what his ultimate goal is, and that’s assuming I can even find a way to help him take things with him. He’ll have to teleport or transport or - just travel somewhere else - without leaving his body behind. He would be better off carrying some kind of enchanted bag, and I can’t believe that the two of you are having me using those words together as a legitimate phrase!” 

Scott couldn’t help grinning at her. “But you’re starting to adjust to it now, aren’t you?” He said. “You’re getting used to the idea and I don’t know you from Eve, but even I can see the wheels turning in your head right now. Part of you is trying to work it out, even now.” He exhaled slowly, his expression serious. “Lydia, he thinks you can do it. He really does have that much faith in you. And… if you can’t do it for some reason, he wouldn’t hold it against you. He’s leaving, either way.” He swallowed. “His end game is to get back to his Scott. His world. His not-dead dad, his friends. His life. His spirit, or soul, or… astral projection, or whatever is occupying the body of the Stiles of this world.” His lower lip shook a little, and it hurt his stomach to say it, but it had to be said. “He doesn’t belong here, however much I want him to stay.”

“Do you belong here?” Lydia asked, giving Scott a gentle smile. “Maybe he could bring you along with him.” 

Scott rubbed his hands over his eyes. “He was thinking along the same line, too. But for every Stiles, there’s a Scott. And I’m meant to be here, with the Stiles of this world. I never would have met him if the other Stiles hadn’t come to find me. Besides. I already promised him that I’d be here when my Stiles makes his reappearance.”

“Give me your phone number.” Lydia demanded, getting her phone out of her purse. “I’ll call you and come meet you tomorrow at noon. He can wait that long for me, can’t he?” 

Scott took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the number for Lydia, showing it to her. “I think he will. If it’ll help him out with everything he needs to do, he will.”

Lydia programmed Scott’s number into her phone. “I’ll see you at noon tomorrow.” She walked across the parking lot and got into her car. 

Scott waved after her, and then hurried back inside, right to Stiles’ side. “I’ve got her number programmed, I think I wore her down, and she said she’ll see us at noon tomorrow, are you okay with that?” He blurted rapid-fire, not inhaling until he’d stopped talking again.

“Yes.” Stiles kissed Scott again. “Thank you.” 

Scott kissed him back, preening. “You’re welcome.” He murmured, and gently butted his forehead against Stiles’ cheek. “Let’s get home, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Stiles picked up the bag of their food, carrying it out to Scott’s car. He had a lot that he wanted to say, but he felt like nothing was suitable for the moment. 

Scott followed after Stiles, opening the passenger side door for him before making his way around the car and into the driver’s seat. He pulled out of the parking lot not long after and started the drive back to Beacon Hills.

“If you hadn’t lived so close by, you know? This would have been a lot harder.” Stiles snorted. 

“I know.” Scott laughed quietly. “Silver linings.” He kept his focus on the road, feeling silly because he knew that if he took his eyes off of it for even just a second to look at Stiles, they would probably end up halfway through a tree - and even he wasn’t that dumb, anyway. 

Stiles closed his eyes, his emotions warring between elated and depressed. He wanted his Scott, but hated the idea of leaving this one. 

Scott pulled into the parking lot of Stiles’ apartment building before shutting the car off and sitting still for a moment. His mind was racing, but the only thing he could think of was that he had to make Stiles’ last night here, in his world, count for something. He would end up meeting an entirely different Stiles after that. He hoped that what Stiles had been through in the last few weeks (provided Scott’s theory was correct and this world’s Stiles was awake for all of it, just not in the driver’s seat) would mean that maybe, just maybe there wouldn’t be that much of a difference between the two men. If there was, and he was pushed away… well. His heart was already aching at losing his Stiles - it wouldn’t really matter after that if the ‘real’ Stiles rejected him, too. He got out of the car and went around to the passenger’s seat, pulling the door open. “Come on.”

Stiles nodded slowly as he got out. He hugged Scott, then kissed him, unwilling to let go. “This pretty much sucks. I wish we could stay in touch.”

Scott nodded, sniffling a little. “Me, too. There’s gotta be a way. If you can jump universes, there has to be a way to communicate between them.”

“It would be nice if there was a gateway, so we could visit,” Stiles added. “I just want to keep you close tonight. We don’t have to do anything and we probably shouldn’t.”

“Agreed.” Scott murmured. “I just want to hold you for awhile.” He sighed, turning, and led the way toward the door of the building, holding it open for Stiles. Remembering to lock the car, then, he yanked his keys out, fumbled the fob twice, and finally jammed his thumb against the tiny picture of the closed lock before following after the other man.

Stiles unlocked his apartment door and waited in the hall for Scott. Once they were both in the apartment, he pushed the door closed and kicked his shoes off. The button-down shirt was next, but he was halfway to his room, determined to get a couple of well-worn shirts for himself and Scott. He sighed shakily as he pushed the dresser drawer shut, standing there a few more seconds as he asked himself again why leaving was necessary. The previous owner of their collective cells hadn’t taken care of them. Wasn’t he, the newcomer who fixed things, at least a little more deserving?

“Stiles.” Scott said softly, staring at him gently. “Dinner can wait?” He took a hesitant step forward, sitting down on the edge of the bed before looking up at the other man. “I can practically guess what you’re thinking. And… you have to know that I want you to stay more than anything. But I’d be taking you away from another Scott that might love you, that probably misses you and needs you more than anything. I can’t do that to someone. And it’s not even that I’d be doing that to myself, taking you away from him, I mean. If you had someone else in another world, waiting for you to come home… I wouldn’t be able to do that to them, either. I just can’t. I want you to be mine, but you’re not.” He swallowed.

“I regret getting close to you.” Stiles blurted. “That’s the crazy part.” He pulled a shirt on over his head, holding the second one out to Scott. “I mean, I don’t. But I do.”

Scott took the shirt, rubbing one hand over his face with a sigh. “Same. I don’t, but I do. Because now I’m going to be really mad if your next leap sends you right back to your Scott, and he doesn’t want you. And then I might be stuck with a Stiles who doesn’t want me.” He tugged his shirt off, and then pulled the other one on with a low grumble. “Doing the right thing blows.”

Stiles smiled softly and kissed Scott. “Let’s pretend, then. I’m going to Mars. You can look at the sky and pretend you see me out there. I’ll do the same thing. If we have to, I mean.”

Scott couldn’t help smiling, all but faceplanting into Stiles’ throat and hugging him tightly. “That’s so… sweet. And cheesy. But sweet. Like I’ll get a toothache if I keep letting what you said repeat in my head.” He raised his head to look at Stiles properly. “I want to do it immediately.”

“Yeah?” Stiles murmured. “Then come here and kiss me again, and we’ll spend tonight talking. I’ll be in outer space, I can sleep all I want on that flight.”

“As you wish,” Scott snorted in laughter, pressing closer to Stiles and kissing him. 

Stiles wanted more than anything to say the words back, or another variant of them. There was no way Scott had meant anything except the Princess Bride definition of the phrase. “Same.” He said finally, deciding that was safest. 

Scott pressed against Stiles with a sigh, shutting his eyes and nuzzling at his cheek before lifting his head to kiss him again.

Stiles wrapped his arms around Scott’s waist, tugging him along as he laid back on the mattress. He closed his eyes, wishing they could both exist somewhere else together. Still, he wanted to see his own Scott again. He wondered if he was being missed or if the other Stiles was drinking his own body into oblivion. 

Scott snuggled down against Stiles and the bed, resting his head on Stiles’ chest and sighing. He reached one hand toward Stiles’, twisting their fingers together and resting them against Stiles’ chest as well. His eyes locked on them intently, praying that when this Stiles left him, he wouldn’t lose Stiles entirely.

***

Stiles woke up to the sound of a phone vibrating against the top of his dresser. He sat up, rubbing his eyes before he crossed the room and looked at the phones. His was still, but Scott’s was lit up with a message. He walked back over to the bed and shook Scott’s shoulder to wake him. “Hey.” He said quietly. “Your phone. Uh, you have a message. Coffee?” 

Scott woke up without a noise, blinking slowly and looking up at Stiles. “Hm?” He yawned, and then stretched, nodding. “Yeah, please. Definitely.” He slid off of the bed slowly and then moved toward the phone. Picking it up, he read the message quickly, then exhaled softly for a moment, before he replied to Lydia. ‘Anytime you’re ready to meet up with us is fine. If you want to meet up before noon, I’m cool with that.’

‘I’ll see you soon.’ Lydia replied. 

Stiles stumbled into the kitchen and started coffee, staring at the coffee-maker in a daze. He was trying not to think about the scarce hours he had left. 

“Lydia will be here soon.” Scott called out to him, before walking into the kitchen. He slumped against the other man, dropping his chin to Stiles’ shoulder with a sigh. “I should text Ally. Let her know to get here soon.”

“Yeah.” Stiles murmured, turning his head to kiss the corner of Scott’s mouth. “Let’s keep going with this whole pretense thing. I’m going to Mars. I’ll never forget about you. One day, I’m going to find a way to talk to you again.” 

“I know you will.” Scott shut his eyes, slipping his arm around Stiles’ waist and hugging him. “You… you’d better take amazing pictures to show me. Someday.”

“Whole albums.” Stiles agreed, nodding. 

Scott smiled gently at him, lifting his head. He turned toward Stiles and kissed him against softly, before pulling away and sitting down at the table. The closest he’d come to expressing how he felt about Stiles were the three words he’d told him the night before, and he could feel three different words threatening to emerge now, but he held his tongue. Saying how he felt would only make things even more difficult.

Stiles set a cup of coffee in front of Scott, then set about making one for himself. He started getting more grounds into baskets for Lydia and Allison, assuming that they would want coffee, too. 

“Thanks.” Scott murmured, reaching for his phone again to send Allison a text message. His phone pinged when she texted him back. “Ally’s going to be here soon, she says.” He murmured. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know if I want to talk about how I’m feeling.” Stiles said carefully. “Because that means we’re going to be sad for the next few hours. Instead of that, let’s just talk about this other guy and what he might do, you know?” 

Scott paused. “I just meant if you were nervous, but… yeah, that would probably be best, avoiding talking about anything to do with that.” He licked his lips. “I’m… really kind of hoping that the first thing he does is stick with sobriety.”

“Yeah. If you see any alcohol in his house, just quietly dump it, you know? This town’s pretty small, you might even be able to convince the locals to not serve him anything.” 

Scott smiled faintly and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll do that, definitely.”

“Is there anything you want me to pass on? I mean, verbally. To the next Scott.” Stiles sipped his coffee. 

Scott hid his flinch, clearing his throat. He stayed quiet for a beat, and then looked up at Stiles. “That he’d sure as hell better take care of you while he’s got you there.”

Stiles set his cup down and put his hands on Scott’s shoulders. “I don’t want to talk about it, but I know we have to.” He sighed. “I just want to stay. It’s just not a good idea. We both know that. What else is there? Other than me saying I want to stay and you saying you want me to stay? That’s just... we can’t.” 

Scott shut his eyes again, nodding. He reached up, putting his own hands on top of Stiles’. “I know.” He murmured softly. “I know. So… we don’t worry about it. And - we don’t say goodbye. Because it’s not. Not as far as I’m concerned. We’ll see each other again one day.”

“I want that.” Stiles answered the door when there was a knock, and he let Lydia and Allison in. “Hey.” He murmured, turning toward Lydia and giving her an expectant look. The night before, they had communicated through text messages, and he was interested in seeing what she had come up with for him. 

Lydia held her index finger up to tell him to wait. She pulled a pair of gloves out of her purse, put them on, then retrieved a box from her purse after that. She set the box on the kitchen table, opening it and removing a small bag from inside. She put the bag down beside the box. 

Stiles studied the bag for a few seconds. “Okay, this looks about the size of dice bags that they sell at the bookstore. For tabletop games, I mean. What’s this for?” 

Lydia sighed as she took off her gloves. “I know you said that you use certain things to teleport, and the bag you keep the spell in doesn’t travel with you, but the ingredients in it are what enable you to move.” 

“Not teleport, exactly, but go on.” Stiles waved a hand toward the cup of coffee he had made for Allison, smiling at the brunette. 

“This bag is made of those same ingredients.” Lydia threw her gloves into the trash. She had been fearful that she would somehow find herself in a different reality if she handled the bag herself. “So if I’m right in my theory, the bag should travel with you, as long as you believe that it will. That means that anything you put into the bag will also travel with you. Also, since belief is what has helped you get this far, you might even be able to fit things into the bag that wouldn’t make sense to anyone who believes in physics.” 

Stiles looked hopeful. He hugged Lydia. “Thank you!” 

“We’re not that close.” Lydia said calmly. “Don’t hug me and don’t thank me until it works.” 

“Uh, I kind of won’t be able to.” Stiles pointed out. 

Allison looked amused, accepting the coffee cup and lifting it to her lips for a sip. “I’m pretty sure that’s her point.” She teased Stiles.

“I can hug you though, right?” Stiles asked Allison. “Because I’m going to miss you too, you know?” 

Allison’s eyes softened, and she immediately set her cup down and held her arms out to him. “I’d be furious with you if you didn’t. Miss me and hug me, I mean.” She told him, zipping right into his arms.

Stiles hugged her, smiling softly. He lifted his head to look at Scott as he stepped away from Allison. “I guess this means it’s time for me to go?” He licked his lips. “One more kiss and hug before I’m off to Mars?” 

Scott moved toward him, cupping Stiles’ cheek softly. He swallowed roughly, giving the other man a weak smile before leaning forward to press a soft, gentle kiss to Stiles’ mouth. His other arm slid around Stiles, drawing him into a hug. “Be safe. And - I’m going to miss you so much.”

“I’ll miss you, too. I’ll see you later.” Stiles winked at Scott. He stepped back, glancing at the bag on the table. It wasn’t at all what he had asked Lydia for, and he wasn’t sure what he would put in it, to take with him. “I don’t suppose that Scott would fit in here, would he?” He asked, only half-joking. 

“I think you’re better off with something small, to begin with.” Lydia answered, pulling a piece of cardboard out of the box. Underneath that layer, there was an electronic device, about the size of a cell phone. “Like this. It might break the second you get somewhere else, but I programmed it with locator software. Sort of like a more high-tech GPS. If you type in any name and do a search, it should automatically provide you with addresses. Of course, there’s bound to be more than one Scott McCall in any reality you visit, so you might find a few different results and you’ll have to narrow it down yourself. But that’s the best I can do on such short notice. You’ve been out here two months, imbecile. You should have talked to me sooner.” 

“Hey.” Scott muttered. “He was also trying to fix this world’s Stiles’ life. Believe it or not, that takes work.”

Allison sighed, waving her hands. “Okay, okay, what’s done is done, alright? Yes?” She looked between all three of them.

Stiles nodded. “Yeah.” 

“Fine.” Lydia said sharply. “I just don’t like being out of the loop on anything. Which should be obvious to anyone who knows me as well as you seem to.” She told Stiles. 

“I’m sorry.” Stiles muttered. “Just don’t take it out on the other guy. He’s an orphan now and he’s had it rough for the past year. Be nice.” 

Scott reached out, rubbing a hand gently down Stiles’ back. “We’ll take care of him.” He said softly. 

“Yeah, we’ve got his back.” Allison added, nodding.

Stiles wanted to kiss Scott once more, but he picked up the bag instead and opened it, putting the device inside. “I’ll go do this in the bedroom.” He cleared his throat. “Uh, then, if there’s yelling or something, that’ll be him.” 

Scott leaned his shoulder against Allison’s, shaking a little. “Okay.” He said softly. 

Allison reached up and wrapped her arm around Scott, nodding. “Take care, Stiles. And if I’m a jackass in the next world, rip me a new one.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Stiles took a deep breath, then left the room. He closed his eyes when he was in the bedroom, alone. It took a minute for him to remind himself that he had to go, but he didn’t dare look at the door behind him as he grabbed the spell bag from his dresser drawer. He held the bag from Lydia in his other hand, closing his eyes tightly and hoping with everything that he had, that he could take the bag and device with him.


	6. Three

Stiles was vaguely familiar with the sensation he was experiencing, when he found himself in a new body. Or, more accurately, two of them. He put his hands down on the mattress and lifted himself up a little, coming face to face with a brunette girl with dark brown eyes and tan skin. He realized belatedly that he was mid-thrust, and he stilled. “Oh my god.” 

“Wh - oh my god what?” The girl blinked rapidly, panting and staring up at Stiles. “What? Why are you stopping?” She lifted her foot a little and nudged his backside with it. “Dude, keep going!”

“Uh.” Stiles blinked. “I mean, I want to, but I also feel like I probably shouldn’t do that right now.” 

The girl’s head flopped back on the pillow. “No,” she whined. “Stiles, come on, you can’t stop right in the middle like that!” She paused. “Unless you stopped because you want me to take over, because I can totally do that.”

“Okay.” Stiles murmured, then realized that it sounded like he was agreeing to something that he probably shouldn’t. “Wait. Just - wait a second. What’s today?” 

The girl’s large brown eyes blinked slowly. “Friday?” She replied slowly. “Remember? Mom’s got an all-nighter at the hospital? That’s the whole reason you came over?” She wiggled underneath him and tightened her legs around his waist. 

“Christ.” Stiles sighed in relief. “Scott. Okay.” He frowned. “Wait, wait. Okay, I can’t do this right now. I just don’t think it’s appropriate, I’m so sorry.” He kissed her forehead, pulling out and sitting down on the bed. “It’s nothing you did or didn’t do, I promise. Don’t be mad, please.” 

“Okay…” Scott sat up, staring at Stiles in confusion. She reached for a stray t-shirt and tugged it on. “Dude. I’m not mad, but what the hell is going on?”

“I’m not Stiles. I mean, I am. Just not your Stiles, okay?” Stiles reached for the bag, which he had let go of when his hands were positioned on the mattress, above Scott’s shoulders. “I’m about thirty years old, if all of the time I’ve spent alive can be added up like that.” 

Scott expelled a long, slow breath, staring at him for a lengthy beat. “Honestly, all I really heard is that I’m sexing up an older guy.” She admitted. “And my brain went a little blank.” She pulled back, sitting up properly until her back was against the headboard of the bed, her dark eyes watching him intently. 

“I just don’t want you to think I’m someone that I’m not, and also I’m what, twice your age? What year is this? How old are you?” Stiles blurted. 

Scott reached out a slim hand and cupped the back of Stiles’ head, staring at him. “Stiles. We’re sixteen. It’s two-thousand and eleven. If you were actually way, way older than me? I wouldn’t have let you get off of me.”

“I’m not sure if I’m turned on or grossed out.” Stiles remarked. “Physically, I’m sixteen. Nevermind. I should go, this isn’t somewhere I belong.” 

Scott looked bewildered. “Stiles, are you feeling alright?” She asked, frowning. “What the hell are you even talking about?” She made a face at him. “Also, be turned on. It’s not like I’d jump anybody else other than you.”

“I’m guessing you’re not a werewolf.” Stiles said quietly, studying her. He shook his head a moment later. “It’s possible that nobody else but me would know that I did this, if I were to go ahead and do this. But I’d still know. Why is your name still Scott? Are your parents high all the time or something?” 

“Dude!” Scott whapped his shoulder with the back of her hand. She clearly hadn’t heard his words about werewolves. “My name’s Scotland and I’ve been Scott all my life because my dad’s a dick, remember? Because how dare I be born a girl?”

Stiles gave Scott a pointed look. “And don’t you think that I would know that, if I was the person you think I am?” 

Scott blinked. “Oh.” She said slowly. She frowned deeply, her brows drawing together, before she let her head fall back against the headboard with a sigh. “Okay, so what happened? How are you… not my Stiles, how did you get here? What do I do to get my Stiles back, and also, the only other person that would know if you keep doing what you - what my Stiles was doing is me, and I’m okay with that, damn it.”

“You’re really not at all like my Scott.” Stiles found himself thinking of the one he had just left and the one he had grown up with, when he spoke of ‘his’ Scott. He shook his head slightly. “I’m not really interested in explaining it all to you. It gets exhausting after awhile. Your Stiles will be back as soon as I’m gone, and I’ll be gone as soon as I can get a few things together.” 

Scott fidgeted. “Okay.” She mumbled. “I mean… The least I can do is help you get the stuff you need together. If you want my help, I mean.”

“I do want your help.” Stiles smiled gently. “After you get dressed. I’m sorry that I showed up at the worst possible second.” 

Scott smiled back at him tentatively. “Yeah, your timing kind of sucked.” She told him, huffing out a small laugh. Now that she was aware he was wholly serious that he wasn’t her Stiles, she felt embarrassed, and firmly wrapped her comforter around her so that she was covered from top to bottom with it. “I’ll just… get dressed now.”

Stiles nodded to her. He got up from the bed, grabbing his clothes and going into the bathroom to get dressed. When he was done, he sat on the edge of the tub as he waited for her to finish getting dressed, so that she could let him know when it was appropriate for him to come back. 

Scott stared at her clothes, and then sighed softly, pushing her hair back from her face. She dropped the comforter, then, and started pulling her clothes back on, glancing over her shoulder toward the bathroom with uncertainty. When she was finally dressed, she moved toward it, knocking lightly. “Hey. We’re good.”

Stiles gave Scott a grateful smile as he walked out of the bathroom. “Uh, so, are you guys dating, or is this just a random thing? Like, you got bored, or he did, or you both did? I mean, don’t tell me if you don’t want to tell me.” 

“Um…” Scott scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed. “Well, it sort of started like that. The boredom thing. Like… we’re both virgins. I mean, we were. And we didn’t want to be anymore, and… like, we kind of just went for it after the homecoming dance last fall. Um, but we were really awkward around each other after that. At least for, like, the first two weeks. After that, we kind of agreed that it sucked, tiptoeing around each other the way we were, and kind of came to the conclusion that there wasn’t really anything wrong with scratching an itch if we had one. And there wasn’t really anybody else looking at either of us that kind of indicated they’d want to… so I guess we’ve been kind of exclusive.”

“He’s nice to you, right?” Stiles asked carefully, trying to figure out why he had ended up with this particular Scott. “He doesn’t make you feel like crap?” 

Scott rubbed at her arm. “Well, we’re… I mean, we’re friends. So… no.” She stared up at Stiles and then frowned. “But… I mean, I guess he talks about Lydia Martin and Derek Hale a lot. Wanting them to notice him. And… it’s not like I don’t kind of do the same. Allison Argent’s gorgeous, and Derek’s cousin Malia is, too. But… Stiles is sort of the only guy that I…” She faltered a little, fidgeting uncomfortably. “You know.”

“You love him.” Stiles laughed softly, but not at Scott. “And I'm here to help you figure out how to tell him, or how I can convince him that it makes more sense than him and Lydia or him and Derek. And you’ll stop worrying over... hey. You’re a girl and they’re both girls, that you like. I’m a little slow on the uptake today. So Stiles is your exception, then?” 

Scott’s lips twisted crookedly. “Apparently. I, uh… I’ve liked girls ever since I could remember. Like… Stiles would wax poetic about Lydia in third grade, and I’d be staring at Lydia, too, and Harley, instead of Derek, like the other girls did. I never really… got it, with guys. Except for Stiles. Stiles was always sort of… mine. For me.” She licked her lips, and then nodded. “And I do. Love him.”

“Then you need to tell him. I can’t see him not feeling the same way.” Stiles insisted. 

“He does.” Scott mumbled. “I mean, he loves me. I know he does. I just don’t… I don’t think he loves me. You know?”

“But you guys haven’t talked about it.” Stiles reminded her. “Okay, listen. I talked about Lydia all the time because I didn’t think my Scott would ever notice me. And she’s beautiful.” He grimaced. “Okay, I know. But she is. You know she is. But she and I dated and we didn’t last. It wasn’t even until recently that I knew I could even have a chance with him. You. But male. You know?” 

“Sure.” Scott tilted her head. “Your Scott is a boy?” She snorted. “Bet Dad was over the moon about that.”

“Uh, no? Your mom kicked him out because he was a douche. Good riddance to him, anyway. He did a few nice things and actually saved my life once, but... he tried to get my dad fired because he sucks at life.” 

“So he’s a douchebag in every universe.” Scott nodded, sighing. “Because of course he is. Piece of shit asshole.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Stiles nodded. He wasn’t sure what else to say to Scott, or if he was there for any other reason. Telling the girl to tell his other self how she felt was easy. From his experiences, nothing was ever easy. “Is it possible that you maybe would rather be with Allison or Malia?” 

Scott shook her head. “I think about them.” She admitted. “And I like them. A lot. Allison’s really sweet, and Malia’s… Malia is something else entirely. But I don’t think about them the way I think about Stiles.” She shrugged a shoulder and smiled crookedly. “I’m probably just going to have to bite the bullet.”

“For what it’s worth, if you weren’t half my age - my lifetime age, I mean? I wouldn’t have hesitated.” Stiles admitted, smiling. “What’s with this older guy kink?” 

Scott’s lips twitched. “It’s not an older guy kink, dork.” She told him. “It’s a ‘you as an older guy’ kink. Um. We’ve experimented with role-playing a little.”

“Oh, like a teacher and student thing?” Stiles blurted, blushing when he realized that he had come to that conclusion a little too fast. 

Scott ducked her head, blushing a little. “Well… yeah, that’s one of them.”

“What else?” Stiles looked intrigued. “Come on, tell me while we walk to Deaton’s. We have time.” 

Scott stared at him, blinking and looking befuddled. “Wait, you seriously want to know?” She asked, and started toward the door of the house. “Um. Well.” She looked nervous for a moment. “We kinda did a… a ‘Daddy’ thing once.” She admitted, refusing to look at Stiles. “I think we both got a little too into it, we haven’t really done it since.”

“Maybe that’s why he never told you how he feels. I mean, you both have issues with your dads. Or so I’m assuming. Mine’s been doing the best he can, but he did drink a lot for awhile and I kind of took over with taking care of myself. So maybe it’s just as weird for him as it is for you, but if you’re both into it, you shouldn’t just quit.” 

“Maybe.” Scott mumbled, leading the way out of the house. “I don’t know. Anyway. There weren’t really many others. Just the teacher thing, and the daddy thing. Some other variations of the same. There were a lot of teaching moments.” She glanced at Stiles. “We have teacher issues, too.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, Harris, right?” He glanced over at her. 

“Oh my god, he’s such an asshole.” Scott blurted fervently, nodding. “And creepy. He stares at me when he thinks I’m not looking. And when I am looking, he stares at Stiles, and not just in a, ‘I hope you mess up so I can make your day miserable’ sort of way, either.”

“You know, you two could just have a threesome with him and report him for it.” Stiles snorted. “I have bad ideas.” 

Scott shuddered. “Yeah, no kidding.” She smacked his arm in amusement. “Gross.”

“You could mess with him, though. Stiles, I mean.” Stiles grinned. “The next time he says anything about Lydia or Derek, you could tell him you think Harris is hot. He’ll lose his shit. I know if my Scott said that, I’d be horrified.” 

Scott couldn’t help giggling. “I might try it. If I can do it without, you know. Throwing up. Gotta admit, it would be kinda funny to see how Stiles reacts.” She stared at him, and then shook her head. “It’s so weird, talking about him like he’s not right in front of me. But he isn’t, is he? You’re… you took over him.” She tilted her head curiously. “Does it feel weird? Can you… I mean, can you feel him? Is he asleep or something?”

“I don’t know. I won’t ever know.” Stiles shook his head. “I wish I could find out, but there’s no real way. I’m here and when I’ve moved on, I’ll be in some other Stiles’ body and you’ll have yours back.” He didn’t want to tell her that he might be wrong, that he might somehow be murdering his other selves as he went from one body to another. 

Scott nodded thoughtfully. “Then… no offense, but I’m going to help you get whatever it is you need to get you out of here quicker, because I want my personal Stiles back.”

Stiles laughed. “I’m really not offended. I’m just glad I can’t be arrested for statutory.” 

Scott grinned faintly. “To be honest, even if you weren’t… metaphysically thirty, or whatever, I’d probably be the one getting in trouble eventually. I mean, if we’re - me and my Stiles, I mean - if we’re still having sex by the time I turn eighteen. I’ll be the one arrested.”

“You...” Stiles decided not to bother asking for clarification. His mind was starting to wander and he sped up a little, reminding himself of the Scott from less than an hour earlier and the one he never should have left behind. 

Scott blinked at the increased pace, hurrying along after him in an attempt to catch up. “Did that freak you out?” She asked. “Is your Scott younger than you?”

“Actually, I’m a few months younger than him. It’s not that. It’s the fact that an earlier Scott was right. It doesn’t matter which you it is, or which me it is, it’s just always us. I’m getting ideas from your ideas and that’s a little messed up.” 

“Sorry?” Scott replied uncertainly, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans as they walked.

“Don’t be. It’s just further proof that I need to get the hell back to my own reality. Are you cold?” Stiles eyed his plaid overshirt. 

“Not - uh… well, kinda. I probably should’ve put on my hoodie before I booked it out the door.” Scott admitted, shrugging and looking at him. “Why?”

Stiles took his overshirt off and held it out to Scott. “I don’t think he’ll care.” He smiled. “Borrow it.” 

Scott smiled back, taking it without hesitation and putting it on. She breathed in a little when it was settled over her shoulders, and sighed. “He won’t care. I borrow his clothes pretty frequently. He likes the way they look on me.” She murmured, and then went silent. “Maybe you’re right, maybe he does feel the same way and he’s just… nervous about exploring it?”

“He’s me, at the core. So yeah. I think I’m kind of an expert.” Stiles gestured to the door of Deaton’s clinic. “You first? I can get in here without being questioned if Deaton thinks you invited me.” 

“Right.” Scott stepped into the clinic, hearing the familiar jingle of the bell above the door. Moving toward the counter, she stopped, glancing back at Stiles, and then called out, “Doctor D? Are you in the back?”

Deaton walked out of the back room, giving Stiles a puzzled smile before he turned back to Scott. “Hello. You’re not scheduled to be here today.” 

“Yeah, I know.” Scott told him, and then reached for Stiles’ hand, tugging him forward. “I’m not sure if you can help with this, but I’m really hoping you can. Um… the long and short of it is that this… isn’t my Stiles. I mean, he’s in Stiles’ body, but this is actually another Stiles from another universe.”

“I know.” Deaton murmured. “I guess you’ll be wanting supplies to get yourself out of here? Give me a moment.” He went into his office and returned with a few small jars in one hand and a full pouch in the other. 

Stiles sheepishly took the spell ingredients and put them into the bag he had received from Lydia, remembering to believe that the bag had plenty of room to make sure everything would fit. “I’ll go do this outside and, uh... I _won’t_ see you later.” He snorted. He gave Scott an apologetic smile and went out to the parking lot beside the building, throwing the bag down in front of him.


End file.
